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
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
This doesn’t sound like a strategy session by a party fretting about the state of play.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Despite all the fretting about the Eagles on the shouty national shows, this team will probably cook in November and December.
—Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Shalett’s critique came squarely in the middle of some people in the AI field — and many financial commentators around Wall Street —fretting at market exuberance and beginning to talk openly about a bubble.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
For anyone who has yet to join the Vulture Movies Fantasy League — or who is still fretting over which films to choose — this preview also offers some data points to help guide your selections.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Portraying the ghost of Hamlet’s father at the play’s debut, his face and body covered in chalky white paint, his Shakespeare steps through the looking glass and becomes his own tragic player, strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Down the road elsewhere in Newark, Mitch Gambert, CEO and owner of Gambert Shirtmakers, is fretting over the future of his business due to the upheaval caused by the administration’s ever-evolving trade policy.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 14 Aug. 2025
Consolidation has been another trend, with some fretting over Amazon merging Wondery into Audible and cutting staff.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Meta and others are engaged in an accelerating AI arms race that has some economists and investors fretting about a possible bubble and seeking reassurance that revenue growth can sustain the massive spending required.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
This doesn’t sound like a strategy session by a party fretting about the state of play.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Despite all the fretting about the Eagles on the shouty national shows, this team will probably cook in November and December.
—Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Shalett’s critique came squarely in the middle of some people in the AI field — and many financial commentators around Wall Street —fretting at market exuberance and beginning to talk openly about a bubble.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
For anyone who has yet to join the Vulture Movies Fantasy League — or who is still fretting over which films to choose — this preview also offers some data points to help guide your selections.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Portraying the ghost of Hamlet’s father at the play’s debut, his face and body covered in chalky white paint, his Shakespeare steps through the looking glass and becomes his own tragic player, strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Down the road elsewhere in Newark, Mitch Gambert, CEO and owner of Gambert Shirtmakers, is fretting over the future of his business due to the upheaval caused by the administration’s ever-evolving trade policy.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 14 Aug. 2025
Consolidation has been another trend, with some fretting over Amazon merging Wondery into Audible and cutting staff.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretting
Adjective
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But that doesn’t mean viewers won’t be increasingly exasperated by the ways the screenplay forces Knightley’s character into a clumsy, fretful investigation.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Investors are fretful heading into the August payrolls report.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Most recently, in 2022, the county had completed a more than $18 million project for beach nourishment, which is the process of adding sand to an eroding beach to widen it.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Meanwhile, a recent constitutional reform that gave Mexico’s ruling party control over all three branches of government has fed fears of rising state control over the economy, eroding confidence.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two men sat on either side of her, one in a hat with WHO RESCUED WHO stitched across it and the other wearing a pearl-button shirt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Madden brought an '80s rocker vibe to show, wearing a skull on his belt and a bandana on his head.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Despite some investors worrying about an AI bubble, the gusher of data center spending has not relented, supporting our thesis in Cisco.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
9 Nov. 2025
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This movie was when many started worrying.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The play-calling of Payton remains irritating and confusing.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
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Plus, if wind picks up, the leaves can wind up all over the neighborhood, irritating your neighbors.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Who would not raise a glass to the memory of so vexed a merrymaker, under whose spell the city is transformed into an exotic pastoral?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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But best of all here is the vexed mother/daughter relationship, which can echo Lizzy’s terms with her own mother.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
4 June 2025
Verb
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While about 10% of adults worldwide report bloating, fatigue or gut pain after eating foods containing gluten, only 16% to 30% of those cases show true gluten-specific reactions, the paper found.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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While that helps some of us love and others loathe tastes like super-dark chocolate or black coffee, the evolutionary purpose of these receptors is to keep us from eating things that could harm or kill us.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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However, India’s bilateral strategy is fraying.—
Pintu Kumar Mahla,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
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Ride Cadence Snowboard Boot But last season, due to general wear and tear, the metal cable of my laces started fraying.—
Lisa Jhung,
Outside,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fretting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretting. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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