as in fretful
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in eroding
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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2
as in wearing
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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3
as in worrying
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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4
as in irritating
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
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Recent Examples of fretting
Megan Greenwell, Bloomberg, 9 June 2026
Scenes of furious sketching, intricate designs of delicate cutouts and swirling shapes and fabrics, pinning, sewing and the bustle of runway shows alternate with fretting about how to pay the rent.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 June 2026
Bombshells Kenzie is fretting about not being Zach’s type and yet not taking the hint all the way until bombshell time the following night.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 June 2026
Traders are all-in on AI, but Americans are fretting over its impact on jobs.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 24 May 2026
After games, many Thunder players reside by their lockers cracking jokes and catching up instead of fretting over roles and playing time.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The tension drew the attention of Abbott’s office, which was supportive of Tips at periods but also fretting that the regulations were not coming together and state lawmakers were growing impatient, Bingaman said.
—Dug Begley, Houston Chronicle, 4 May 2026
Meta employees have spent much of the year fretting about job cuts, which already hit the Reality Labs division and other teams.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Increasingly, teachers and schools fretting over students using artificial intelligence to complete their assignments are turning to AI detectors to catch would-be cheaters.
—Nathan Agranovsky, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
On the other side of the office, Islas, Alejo’s boss, is fretting about how to keep Alejo’s team employed.
—Megan Greenwell, Bloomberg, 9 June 2026
Scenes of furious sketching, intricate designs of delicate cutouts and swirling shapes and fabrics, pinning, sewing and the bustle of runway shows alternate with fretting about how to pay the rent.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 June 2026
Bombshells Kenzie is fretting about not being Zach’s type and yet not taking the hint all the way until bombshell time the following night.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 June 2026
Traders are all-in on AI, but Americans are fretting over its impact on jobs.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 24 May 2026
After games, many Thunder players reside by their lockers cracking jokes and catching up instead of fretting over roles and playing time.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The tension drew the attention of Abbott’s office, which was supportive of Tips at periods but also fretting that the regulations were not coming together and state lawmakers were growing impatient, Bingaman said.
—Dug Begley, Houston Chronicle, 4 May 2026
Meta employees have spent much of the year fretting about job cuts, which already hit the Reality Labs division and other teams.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Increasingly, teachers and schools fretting over students using artificial intelligence to complete their assignments are turning to AI detectors to catch would-be cheaters.
—Nathan Agranovsky, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretting
Adjective
-
The fretful electronic score is by Flying Lotus, Elliot Leung and Olivia Xiaolin.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Julia Louis-Dreyfus provides the voice of Miss Maple, renamed Lily and far more fretful and fearful than in the book.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Chronic stress is eroding sleep, focus and mood for millions of Americans — and the cheapest, fastest counterweight may already be sitting in your sneakers.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2026
-
What registers to most as an economic or human rights issue is, in practice, also one of the most undercounted public health crises quietly eroding our collective well-being.—
Nicole F. Roberts,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Wilson shared a video of herself shooting a gun while dressed in her bikini shirt, as well as one of her sipping on a cocktail while sitting on part of the boat wearing the shirt, a visor and a statement necklace.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Another, wearing a plain white T-shirt, sat hunched inside, watching someone climb past his apartment window.—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Verb
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In Disclosure Day, Jane’s worrying is curious, coming from someone who meant to become a nun.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
-
Looking to be quite aggressive in a football sense and always looking for the solution and what can happen instead of worrying about what the problem is.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
This behavior isn’t just irritating or upsetting.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
-
How to avoid chiggers Aside from the potential risk of anaphylactic allergy and severe illness, chiggers are, well, irritating.—
Eva Flowe
June 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
How to do that was a very vexed and complicated problem.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
-
From his perspective, whatever happened was easily resolved — but working on a megahit can make matters more vexed.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The island, used for both eating (and working), is a vintage Neolt Architetto drafting table.—
Aditi Sharma,
Architectural Digest,
13 June 2026
-
Taking a calcium supplement or eating a calcium-heavy meal alongside iron can cut iron absorption by up to 50%, which is why nutritionists suggest separating the two by at least two hours.—
Allison Palmer
Updated June 13,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
And that net of community health workers who serve as links between families and this lifesaving treatment is fraying.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
13 June 2026
-
New York was broke, fraying at the edges and dangerous in ways that became part of its mythology.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fretting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretting. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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