as in health
a state of being or fitness
a visit to the relatives on the other side of the state revealed them all to be in fine fettle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 fettle
Canada looked in fine fettle and are well on their way to the knockouts.
—
Phil Hay, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Daniels suffered a rib injury midway through the season, but he’s returned in fine fettle, and the future seems impossibly bright, with the expectation of a decade or more of Daniels excellence, playing for a hard-nosed, championship-winning coach in Dan Quinn.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
That level of hostility put her in fine fettle to deal with Kevin James’ gang of escaped cons, who arrived seeking a mysterious item at the family’s summer house.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 May 2023
The three women are in fine fettle, with dog-walking grandmother Suzie finding local fame (if not fortune) on the radio and septuagenarian Judith still crafting fiendishly clever crosswords and scandalizing local birdwatchers by skinny-dipping even in winter.
—Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for fettle
Phil Hay, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Daniels suffered a rib injury midway through the season, but he’s returned in fine fettle, and the future seems impossibly bright, with the expectation of a decade or more of Daniels excellence, playing for a hard-nosed, championship-winning coach in Dan Quinn.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
That level of hostility put her in fine fettle to deal with Kevin James’ gang of escaped cons, who arrived seeking a mysterious item at the family’s summer house.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 May 2023
The three women are in fine fettle, with dog-walking grandmother Suzie finding local fame (if not fortune) on the radio and septuagenarian Judith still crafting fiendishly clever crosswords and scandalizing local birdwatchers by skinny-dipping even in winter.
—Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for fettle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fettle
Noun
-
Last week, Narges was finally allowed a brief visit with her sister and two lawyers, who were alarmed at how rapidly her health had deteriorated.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
From moldy cheese to meat sitting out overnight, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City-area restaurants in the last two weeks.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
To single out the biennial as uniquely compromised is less an ecological diagnosis than a deflection of a broader structural condition.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The Royals got a measure of revenge Wednesday, scoring early and often in a 13-9 victory over the Twins in some rainy, foggy conditions.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Traditionally, this dessert asks you to (1) swaddle hot cake in a kitchen towel; (2) roll, cool, and unroll it to set the shape; then (3) fill and reroll it with bated breath.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Milky Way™ requires little to no pruning to maintain an attractive shape.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fettle. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
