1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fretted
But the recent action on Anthropic, as well as asking OpenAI to limit its own newest model, comes after experts have fretted for months that Mythos could pose a security risk by giving hackers and other bad actors access to AI capable of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities exceptionally quickly.
—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
Copilot has struggled, and Microsoft’s shares are down double-digits in the past year as investors have fretted over AI’s impact on software, Microsoft’s reliance on OpenAI, and its heavy data center spending.
—
Sebastian Herrera,
Fortune,
27 June 2026
But where some insiders fretted about the social blowback, Jenkins knew the flap was priceless marketing for the brand.
—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
24 June 2026
In it, Heuermann complained about jail food and exercise conditions and fretted that guards might be reading his mail.
—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Ever since the proposal was first brought forward, local officials have fretted over its potential impacts on operations and services — albeit with an incomplete picture of its impacts.
—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 June 2026
For months, Democrats publicly fretted that the fractured field of candidates could lead to a Republican-on-Republican runoff, locking the party out of the governor’s mansion for the first time in two decades.
—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
In his encyclical, Leo fretted about multiple ongoing wars, lamented the decline of multilateral coalitions and blasted arms industry profits as driving the conflicts.
—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Multiple Wall Street firms fretted about the company's long-term growth prospects in the face of AI.
—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
Copilot has struggled, and Microsoft’s shares are down double-digits in the past year as investors have fretted over AI’s impact on software, Microsoft’s reliance on OpenAI, and its heavy data center spending.
—
Sebastian Herrera,
Fortune,
27 June 2026
But where some insiders fretted about the social blowback, Jenkins knew the flap was priceless marketing for the brand.
—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
24 June 2026
In it, Heuermann complained about jail food and exercise conditions and fretted that guards might be reading his mail.
—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Ever since the proposal was first brought forward, local officials have fretted over its potential impacts on operations and services — albeit with an incomplete picture of its impacts.
—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 June 2026
For months, Democrats publicly fretted that the fractured field of candidates could lead to a Republican-on-Republican runoff, locking the party out of the governor’s mansion for the first time in two decades.
—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
In his encyclical, Leo fretted about multiple ongoing wars, lamented the decline of multilateral coalitions and blasted arms industry profits as driving the conflicts.
—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Multiple Wall Street firms fretted about the company's long-term growth prospects in the face of AI.
—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted
Verb
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Fierce domestic competition has eroded its footprint in China, one of its most important markets.
-
Moscow says the strike was retaliation for Ukraine’s 40-day campaign on Russian oil refineries and supply lines, which has fueled shortages, hit Crimea and eroded battlefield momentum.
Verb
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Most opponents wore red, the color that has united grassroots organizations across the city against data centers.
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Paltrow wore a black, strapless gown and buckled slippers, while Martin sported a two-tone brown-and-blue sweater over a white T-shirt, with brown corduroy pants and a stylishly thin belt.
Verb
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The officials said the US worried that Israel might assassinate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliamentary speaker who is leading negotiations with the US, or Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has also been a public face of the talks.
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That was not enough for investors worried about free cash flow and Meta’s reliance on a narrow, economically sensitive revenue stream.
Verb
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But the idea has irritated California’s billionaire class, and some have left the state in protest or threatened to do so.
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Hasslers, the researchers found, tended to be people who irritated the study respondents but whom the respondents could not escape.
Verb
-
On one day in late December, Eden barely ate all day.
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While neither is an effective big league pitcher at this point, those moves ate into the Yankees’ limited rotation depth.
Verb
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Trump’s posturing underscored how his alliance with Meloni — long seen as one of his closest friends in Europe — has frayed over his war in Iran, his tariffs against Europe and his complaints when anyone disagrees with him.
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Meloni is astonished and defiant Trump’s posturing underscored how his alliance with Meloni — who has long been seen as one of his closest friends in Europe — has frayed over his war in Iran, his tariffs against Europe and his complaints when anyone disagrees with him.
Verb
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The Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department advised anyone bitten or scratched by a bat or other wild animal to promptly clean the wound with soap and water, then contact a physician or go to the emergency room.
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Casey Schmitt was scratched from Sunday’s starting lineup due to an illness, but entered the game for the ailing Adames.
Verb
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Brown alleged Wilhelmy rubbed her stomach, touched her shoulders and spanked her despite objections.
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Flores says this helps prevent dirt and debris from being rubbed into and scratching the surface during the cleaning process.
Cite this Entry
“Fretted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretted. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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