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 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 Ahead of the splashy announcement, her government staffers privately fretted over its political nature potentially opening the city up to liability, according to Banuelos. —

Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026 Nationally, moderate factions of the party have fretted over the calls — like those echoing from the Colorado Capitol’s stairs — to abolish ICE outright. —

Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 8 Feb. 2026 The outperformance is relatively new for investors who once fretted that Alphabet had been surpassed in technological prowess by startups like OpenAI, which would erode Google’s huge market share in internet search. —

Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026 Ahead of the bill’s passage, county leaders openly fretted about the possible damage that might come from giving such free rein to the constables. —

John Lomax V, Houston Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted

Verb

Governor Kathy Hochul's once-commanding lead over Republican Bruce Blakeman has eroded by half in three months, collapsing from 26 points in January to just 13 points, according to the latest Siena Research Institute poll.

— Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The church’s conservative views on social issues including same-sex partnerships and women in leadership have eroded its relationships with more liberal iterations of the Anglican Communion, particularly in Britain and North America.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026