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
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Recent Examples of fretted
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
China's benchmark blue chip index fell 3% in January as investors fretted over the increasingly volatile macro outlook and Beijing's tepid policy response.
—Jiaxing Li, Reuters, 5 Feb. 2025
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
China's benchmark blue chip index fell 3% in January as investors fretted over the increasingly volatile macro outlook and Beijing's tepid policy response.
—Jiaxing Li, Reuters, 5 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted
Verb
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Managers heard directly how decisions had eroded loyalty.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Chinese policymakers have intensified efforts aimed at reining in excessive price cuts that have eroded corporate profits while doing little to spur demand.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Posing next to Colman Domingo and Salma Hayek Pinault (who wore an elegant black Balenciaga suit dress), Moore’s glitzy look shone.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The shooter wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away to the courtyard where the event at which Kirk was speaking took place.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Traders worried about inflation tend to pour money in gold, which some believe holds an intrinsic value that hedges against rising prices.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Some scientists worried such accidents might genuinely threaten our existence.—
Thomas Moynihan,
Big Think,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Think flying in spring water to a Caribbean island because a female client thought the local water irritated her scalp.—
Louis J. Esterhazy,
Footwear News,
7 Sep. 2025
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In fact, the aliens take a back seat to the human interactions, which irritated some viewers eager to see actual aliens in a show about an extraterrestrial invasion.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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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Ashlee Simpson slayed in an all-black look featuring a cutout top and frayed asymmetrical hem.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Its light wash and frayed raw hem look reminds me of the pair the lifestyle guru wore, and the ankle-skimming length is great for showing off a cute pair of sneakers, booties, or slip-on sandals.—
Averi Baudler,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The surface has barely been scratched.—
Sandy Peng,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The recent development was a back injury that forced Glasnow to be scratched from his start Friday in Baltimore.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Freeland agreed with Doyle that the negative coverage has rubbed some players the wrong way.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
9 Sep. 2025
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Vähäsarja vigorously rubbed some cups on Landers’s back—cupping creates a vacuum and stimulates blood flow—and turned the whole thing bright pink.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fretted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretted. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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