as in irritable
tending towards or characterized by agitation or irritability
They finally lulled the fretful baby to sleep. I kept having fretful thoughts about what would happen if we couldn't pay our bills.
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Recent Examples of fretful
There’s naïve Jill (Nicola Turner and then, in adulthood, Helena Wilson), excitable Ruby (Sophia Ally and Ophelia Lovibond), and fretful Gloria (Nancy Allsop and Leanne Best); and then—played by Lara McDonnell as a teen and by Donnelly in a pointed piece of double-casting as an adult—there’s Joan.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Which is neurotically fretful for a chef who prides himself on buying the very best ingredients in the market.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
In 2020, Joe did sterling work managing the inheritance of the Trump administration, but for weeks there’s been a fretful question mark over his ability to win reelection.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
Nothing gave voice to the fretful backlash more than Trump.
—James Morone, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Which is neurotically fretful for a chef who prides himself on buying the very best ingredients in the market.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
In 2020, Joe did sterling work managing the inheritance of the Trump administration, but for weeks there’s been a fretful question mark over his ability to win reelection.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
Nothing gave voice to the fretful backlash more than Trump.
—James Morone, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretful
Adjective
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Cold exposure is particularly helpful for those who have irritable skin through the constriction of blood vessels, alleviating swelling and flushes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
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The elderly single mom, played with an irritable, bone-deep bitterness by Irish actor Fiona Shaw, has spent the past few years paralyzed by an illness no one can diagnose.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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While many companies rapidly integrate AI, this data reveals a growing disconnect: employees are increasingly anxious about its impact.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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But raising cash remains a challenge for some, with investors anxious about startups courting enough customers for healthy returns, Pershad said.—
Liang Lei,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Which forces Plankton and his old nemesis SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) to team up to save Bikini Bottom—and possibly even repair Plankton and Karen’s troubled relationship along the way.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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An arguably even bigger moment came in a landmark Los Angeles court case that showed how state laws had the effect of steering inexperienced and troubled teachers to public schools in the poorest neighborhoods — the ones that need the strongest teachers the most.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Zaitsev allegedly became agitated while the agents walked him through a hallway.—
City News Service,
Orange County Register,
26 Feb. 2025
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Although Allen is best known for promulgating a certain set of character types in his classic films, his own bookish worrywart or Diane Keaton’s moodily anxious beauty, he also must be credited for seeing the comic possibilities of the altogether less agitated and more grounded Roberts.—
Peter Tonguette,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In my neighborhood, people are worried about rising costs of everything.—
Robin Holmes,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2025
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Safety concerns Residents were also worried about the safety of the gravel roads for horses.—
Emma Hall,
Sacramento Bee,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Some Trump advisers were nervous the deal might go south before the ceremonial signing, but felt confident by the time Mr. Trump greeted Zelenskyy.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2025
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At the premiere of that film, Brothers At War, in 2009, Joe was nervous.—
Eileen Finan,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Too often, middle managers can be apprehensive about sharing bad news with the C-suite.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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Automation has reshaped entire industries, leaving many workers apprehensive about their future.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Rojas’s recollections weren’t peevish—fine work was produced under these conditions.—
Ian Parker,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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The songs are muscular and syncretic as ever, but the normally peevish rapper doesn’t maintain his trolling energy for the full record, settling into a questioning and pensive pace.—
Stephen Kearse,
TIME,
8 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Fretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretful. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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