fretted

Definition of frettednext
past tense of fret
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
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

4
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 And many, in a district in which more than 86% of students are low-income, fretted about feeding their kids. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 On a recent morning, Alexandre Joseph, 35, fretted about his family’s future in a loud voice, attracting the attention of passersby in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. Evens Sanon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026 On a recent morning, Alexandre Joseph, 35, fretted about his family’s future in a loud voice, attracting the attention of passersby in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026 In 1998, the small Jesuit school in Spokane was so deep in a fiscal crisis as enrollment dwindled, some administrators fretted if the school could stay open. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026 For the better part of the past year, Wall Street analysts and tech-industry observers have fretted publicly about an AI bubble. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 The Daily Dividend Micron fell for a fourth straight day yesterday as investors fretted about the memory maker’s ability to meet booming demand. Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026 Know More Investors in recent days have fretted about the Paramount bid’s footing. Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026 Some critics fretted that this fairly radical augmentation of the original classic would offend viewers. Holly Willis, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted
Verb
  • Those scripts have been eroded.
    Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Those recurring errors have eroded trust between the Medicaid program and the lawmakers overseeing its ever-increasing costs.
    Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The duchess wore the 14-karat gold version (a splurge at $1,100), but there are more accessible options that still feel special.
    Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Lagomarsini, who wore gold earrings and has arm tattoos, got organized.
    Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Animal rights activists questioned whether the wolf could survive outside the zoo and also worried it might be killed during capture, something that happened to a puma that escaped from the same zoo in 2018.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But, this year, Republicans in Washington have worried that Trump’s nationwide gains with Latinos in 2024 might be reversed, or at least diminished, by his crackdown on immigrants.
    Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.
    Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Many people have come out of the woodwork and jumped on the bandwagon, which irritated me.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • On one day in late December, Eden barely ate all day.
    Angela Andaloro, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • 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
  • Election victor Péter Magyar, a former Orbán loyalist who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues like health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary’s relationships with the European Union and NATO — ties that frayed under Orbán.
    Justin Spike, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
  • The internal notice came after City Council members already saw a 3% cut to their spending across ward offices and committees this year and last year, both following challenging budget cycles that frayed relationships between aldermen and the mayor’s office.
    Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • As for the inside, it’s lined with a cotton blend so items like sunglasses or compacts won’t get scratched on a rough surface.
    Shea Simmons, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Here, fabrics are scraped, scratched, patched, bleached, ripped and painted to signify the passage of time.
    Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Kuroda mentioned other small incidents that rubbed him the wrong way as well.
    Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Hathaway rubbed her son's shoulder while smiling and laughing off the encounter.
    Emily St. Martin, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Fretted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretted. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.

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