FRETTED Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

fretted

verb

past tense of fret

as in eroded

to consume or wear away gradually over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wore

to damage or diminish by continued friction don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him

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as in worried

to experience concern or anxiety don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it

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as in irritated

to make sore by continued rubbing the stiff, starchy collar was fretting my neck, and I couldn't wait to change out of that costume

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fretted Still, shares of Alphabet fell 3% in after-hours trading on Wednesday, as investors fretted about the company’s rising capital expenditures (up to $205 billion in 2026 spending) and fierce competition facing its Gemini family of AI models. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 23 July 2026 That’s a relief to Hollywood, which fretted that the pandemic had hampered Gen Z from developing a taste for going to the movies. — Kelenna Onukwugha, Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2026 But the recent action on Anthropic, as well as asking OpenAI to limit its own newest model, comes after experts have fretted for months that Mythos could pose a security risk by giving hackers and other bad actors access to AI capable of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities exceptionally quickly. — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 But where some insiders fretted about the social blowback, Jenkins knew the flap was priceless marketing for the brand. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 June 2026 In it, Heuermann complained about jail food and exercise conditions and fretted that guards might be reading his mail. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026 Ever since the proposal was first brought forward, local officials have fretted over its potential impacts on operations and services — albeit with an incomplete picture of its impacts. — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2026 For months, Democrats publicly fretted that the fractured field of candidates could lead to a Republican-on-Republican runoff, locking the party out of the governor’s mansion for the first time in two decades. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026 In his encyclical, Leo fretted about multiple ongoing wars, lamented the decline of multilateral coalitions and blasted arms industry profits as driving the conflicts. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted

Verb

Young people say the scandals have jeopardized their futures and eroded trust in the education system.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
The failure of Amazon aggregators like Thrasio, which applied B2B consolidation strategies, highlights this distinction; their attempts to create synergies often eroded brand distinctiveness.

— Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of eroded

Verb

The mother-son duo embraced in the driveway of a home in front of a big field; Aaron wore a casual black T-shirt, blue athletic shorts, a baseball cap, and brown flip flips, while his mom paired a sleeveless blue blouse with baggy patterned pants.

— Christina Perrier, InStyle, 22 July 2026
Holmes, 47, wore a pink corset-style shirt paired with black leather pants, while Yarmosky went casual in a T-shirt, jeans and a tote bag.

— Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026

Definition of wore

Verb

Another common source of opposition, identified in a 2021 feasibility study, came from community groups worried the cameras would be used to surveil and criminalize marginalized groups.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to its highest level since early last year as investors worried that higher energy prices could drive up overall inflation.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 24 July 2026

Definition of worried

Verb

But the idea has irritated California’s billionaire class, and some have left the state in protest or threatened to do so.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
Hasslers, the researchers found, tended to be people who irritated the study respondents but whom the respondents could not escape.

— Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026

Definition of irritated

Verb

Meanwhile, the goals of the war have frayed and multiplied, with the United States now putting out fires of its own making.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdowns that fractured communities and frayed the social fabric of society, there are more lonely people than ever.

— Juliet Linderman, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of frayed

Verb

Diners here can feast upon things like duck-fat frites for brunch and espresso-rubbed steaks for dinner.

— Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2026
During this comedy sketch, Jason Alexander repeatedly rubbed his phone across my breasts while saying there was ‘no signal’ in my head but ‘plenty of signal’ in my chest.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 July 2026