as in sharpened
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something
I'll need a well-whetted axe to split the wood
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Recent Examples of whetted
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
That whetted her competitive desire.
—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
British Museum As excitement builds for the opening of the new Geffen Galleries at LACMA on Sunday (for priority members; May 4 for the general public), one’s appetite may be whetted to visit other museums.
—
Arts Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
The sheer audacity of the recent Louvre heist has whetted us readers’ appetites for heist stories—space heists, all the better!
—
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
Exposure to the outside world, through her father's work, must have whetted MacLeod's appetite for travel, Crichton says.
—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
O’Ward’s full-season teammates, Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, have been joined by Ryan Hunter-Reay, a 45-year-old veteran going into his 18th Indy 500, who won the race back in 2014 and led a chunk of last year’s race that only whetted his appetite for another shot.
—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
That whetted her competitive desire.
—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
British Museum As excitement builds for the opening of the new Geffen Galleries at LACMA on Sunday (for priority members; May 4 for the general public), one’s appetite may be whetted to visit other museums.
—
Arts Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
The sheer audacity of the recent Louvre heist has whetted us readers’ appetites for heist stories—space heists, all the better!
—
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
Exposure to the outside world, through her father's work, must have whetted MacLeod's appetite for travel, Crichton says.
—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whetted
Adjective
-
Davidson had leveled the same line of criticism against Conley in one of the primary race's few sharp clashes.
-
In sharp contrast, the UPEPA tracks the existing summary judgment standard which only looks to whether a minimum of evidence exists and does not require the court to decide issues of facts.
Verb
-
Andy Burnham's resounding special election win in Makerfield last week sharpened the focus on Starmer's future.
-
Living in New York has only sharpened my anxiety about personal safety.
Cite this Entry
“Whetted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whetted. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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