as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags
she wore a beloved but badly frayed flannel shirt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eroded
to damage or diminish by continued friction
constant rubbing against the rock face has badly frayed our climbing rope
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frayed
Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2023
Adjective
After years of hostile and frayed relations, Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties and reopen mutual embassies – a deal reportedly brokered by China that has raised eyebrows across the globe.
—Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frayed
Adjective
-
With tattered cardboard signs directing cars and a makeshift sense of professionalism, the system was clear.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Footage shown on local and national TV news showed a tattered segment of the pier floating on the swell with at least one person walking across the debris.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The host and journalist Garrett Graff, himself a gun owner, contextualizes the past quarter century of mass shootings by laying out the political and legislative maneuvers that have eroded gun-control laws over the previous 50 years.—
Marnie Shure,
The Atlantic,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Currents flowing over an area that was eroded long ago by a glacier sweep sediment away, keeping the ancient terrain visible.—
Ashley Balzer Vigil,
Ars Technica,
21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The ragged metallic roaring scream of a Boeing 727 ascending eastward, a high-pitched whine building to a thundering roar, fading to a drone.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
-
The car screamed a ragged series of explosive pops.—
Rachel Kushner,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The Bureau told the story of a spy adrift, working in the shadow of a faded empire.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2025
-
The image that really got me on social media this week was a faded photo of a man and woman, standing on what looks like the front steps of their home.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near frayed
Cite this Entry
“Frayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frayed. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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