1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fretted
Sarah Lungwitz has fretted over feeding not just her two teenage daughters with SNAP payments disrupted, but her family’s cat and two dogs.
—
Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Generations of workers have fretted about the future of Social Security, the retirement trust fund.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Physicians and engineers alike fretted about the high stakes if a system malfunctioned.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Coen himself fretted a little over some of the script’s more outrageous moments.
—Luna Adler, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
Before turning on the water for the field, the foreman of Tibbitts’ farm fretted building a makeshift levee to keep the water from running too deep at the field’s lowest point.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's particularly telling is that while Cain fretted about the new movie's immigrant themes possibly hurting domestic box office, Superman has actually performed well domestically but struggled internationally.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Generations of workers have fretted about the future of Social Security, the retirement trust fund.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Physicians and engineers alike fretted about the high stakes if a system malfunctioned.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Coen himself fretted a little over some of the script’s more outrageous moments.
—Luna Adler, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
Before turning on the water for the field, the foreman of Tibbitts’ farm fretted building a makeshift levee to keep the water from running too deep at the field’s lowest point.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's particularly telling is that while Cain fretted about the new movie's immigrant themes possibly hurting domestic box office, Superman has actually performed well domestically but struggled internationally.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted
Verb
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In particular, the city’s stormwater system is failing as pipes have eroded and caused sinkholes to pop up in some parts of the city.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
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But the Court’s authority itself has been eroded by years of partisan battles.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As for accessories, Obama wore a pair of white, firework-like earrings from the Chanel collection as well.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
-
At the game, Swift wore head-to-toe Chiefs red, including a $550 Courrèges sweater and matching $650 Courrèges skirt.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Despite the compromise, most Democrats have been worried the vote to extend Obamacare tax credits would fail because many Republicans in the House and Senate are opposed to an extension unless the program is overhauled.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The market suffered last week in part because investors worried about the ongoing government shutdown, Cramer suggested, which was crippling air travel and weakening consumer confidence.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But those movements further irritated a rib injury that Hendrix first sustained during Wicked night.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
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The decision by Aaron Turner, Kuminga’s agent, to go on a media tour in recent weeks while negotiating publicly in hopes of landing a better offer for Kuminga, irritated some with the organization, according to league sources.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On one day in late December, Eden barely ate all day.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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While neither is an effective big league pitcher at this point, those moves ate into the Yankees’ limited rotation depth.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The first one will be connected to a larger community center so that even people who are not in-patient will be able to access health care, mental health care, career counseling, financial planning management and family therapy services to help rebuild relationships frayed by addiction.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Four years later, Afghanistan has faded from headlines and those lifelines have frayed.—
Vidushi Mishti Sharma,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In October alone, shoppers were attacked in a supermarket, a Spanish tourist was scratched by a cub at a heritage site, and a trail runner was forced to wrestle a bear in the woods before sprinting to safety.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Six Central and North American teams scratched, leaving Cuba to qualify.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sometimes, Nat told me, Christian had rubbed some of the estrogen jelly into his skin.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Her words rubbed viewers and other contestants the wrong way, prompting a spat with fellow contestant Debbie.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fretted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretted. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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