as in fretful
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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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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
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Starmer led the Labour party to a landslide victory in July 2024 and ever since, his popularity has been eroding thanks to a persistently high cost of living, an anemic economy and a scandal over his willingness to accept gifts from wealthy donors.—
James Cirrone,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
The internet's foundational assumption of human participation is eroding as AI agents become indistinguishable from people.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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As an adult, Aemond is vicious, tactical and easily identifiable by wearing an eye patch over a blue glass ball where his eye used to be.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
-
The offender is described as an African-American man between 40-45 years of age, weighing 180-200 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray/black baseball cap, a light blue shirt, gray pants, and black gym shoes.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
22 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
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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
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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
-
Chinese manufacturers are competing in their home market now with their impressive luxury sedans and SUVs and eating into sales made by BMW, and other German premium competitors like Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Kansas City Council member Melissa Patterson Hazley spent most of her day in the district attending openings for new businesses, visiting shows and eating at restaurants.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2026
Verb
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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 23 Jun. 2026.
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