FRETTED Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

fretted

verb

past tense of fret

as in eroded

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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as in wore

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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as in worried

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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as in irritated

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fretted And many, in a district in which more than 86% of students are low-income, fretted about feeding their kids. —

Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 On a recent morning, Alexandre Joseph, 35, fretted about his family’s future in a loud voice, attracting the attention of passersby in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. —

Evens Sanon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026 On a recent morning, Alexandre Joseph, 35, fretted about his family’s future in a loud voice, attracting the attention of passersby in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. —

ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026 In 1998, the small Jesuit school in Spokane was so deep in a fiscal crisis as enrollment dwindled, some administrators fretted if the school could stay open. —

Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026 For the better part of the past year, Wall Street analysts and tech-industry observers have fretted publicly about an AI bubble. —

Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 The Daily Dividend Micron fell for a fourth straight day yesterday as investors fretted about the memory maker’s ability to meet booming demand. —

Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026 Know More Investors in recent days have fretted about the Paramount bid’s footing. —

Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026 Some critics fretted that this fairly radical augmentation of the original classic would offend viewers. —

Holly Willis, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted

Verb

In the process, however, one of the big distinguishing aspects of TV – the large audiences who once assembled to watch dramas, sitcoms and reality shows – has eroded.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
At some point, however, those buffers will start to get eroded — especially if higher fuel costs start showing up in household staple goods.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026