Synonyms of fretting

fretting 1 of 2

adjective

as in fretful

Related Words

• fretful
• vexed
• apprehensive
• stewing
• hesitant
• bothered
• foreboding
• distraught
• aggrieved
• misgiving
• worried
• disquieted
• distressed
• disturbed
• freaked
• upset
• shook-up
• perturbed
• flustered
• concerned
• preoccupied
• troubled
• unstrung
• anxious
• uptight
• unnerved
• nervous
• undone
• jittery
• freaked-out
• insecure
• ill at ease
• qualmish
• restless
• obsessed
• goosey
• unquiet
• jumpy
• qualmy
• fidgety
• antsy
• queasy
• tense
• dithery
• atwitter
• uneasy
• high-strung
• twittered
• nervy
• fluttery
• aflutter
• hinky
• flighty
• edgy
• skittish
• het up
• spooky
• hung up
• hypertense

Dissimilar Words

• collected
• calm
• easy
• relaxed
• sure
• cool
• nerveless
• confident
• happy-go-lucky
• controlled
• self-assured
• self-confident
• self-controlled

fretting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of fret

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eroding
• eating
• nibbling
• gnawing
• corroding
• biting (at)
• destroying
• decomposing
• wasting
• ruining
• disintegrating
• wrecking
• dissolving
• devastating
• decimating
• breaking down
• breaking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restoring
• reviving
• renewing
• regenerating
• recreating
• rejuvenating
• revitalizing
• freshening
• refreshing
• refreshening

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wearing
• eroding
• fraying
• rubbing
• chafing
• reducing
• galling
• abrading
• eating
• shaving
• biting
• scraping
• erasing
• filing
• sharpening
• gnawing
• rasping
• scouring
• corrading
• frazzling
• chewing
• nibbling
• scuffing
• grazing
• sandpapering
• corroding
• grinding
• grating
• decomposing
• sandblasting
• disintegrating
• wiping (away)
• wearing out
• honing
• dissolving
• whetting
• rubbing out
• breaking down
• breaking up

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• worrying
• fearing
• stressing
• sweating
• stewing
• bothering
• troubling
• fussing
• pining
• yearning
• agonizing
• longing
• giving a hang
• sweating blood
• chafing
• despairing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accepting
• taking
• sustaining
• bearing
• enduring
• tolerating
• abiding
• sticking out
• stomaching

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritating
• scratching
• scraping
• chafing
• excoriating
• galling
• abrading
• grazing
• peeling
• burning
• skinning
• inflaming
• flaying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fretting

Verb

Szabo’s photos, by contrast, are remarkably free of fretting or judgment. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026

Room for Disagreement Left-wing Democrats are still fretting that party leaders won’t give voters concrete, populist policies. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Republican leadership was, once again, fretting over whether frustrations among some hardline conservatives would effectively freeze the legislative agenda. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Across the developed world, central bankers are fretting over the same issues. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Harvard University’s policy capping A grades among undergraduates doesn’t officially start for another year, but students heading back to school this fall are already fretting over the changes. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026

One day after hitting two homers, Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado was fretting about a pain he's never felt. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

The machine works using a series of gears, magnetic actuators, and arms in a mechanical structure split into the equivalent of a musician's fretting hand and picking hand. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2026

National Democrats are fretting that John Fetterman will switch parties. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 31 July 2026