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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 fretted
Generations of workers have fretted about the future of Social Security, the retirement trust fund.
—
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Physicians and engineers alike fretted about the high stakes if a system malfunctioned.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Coen himself fretted a little over some of the script’s more outrageous moments.
—Luna Adler, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
For months, Wall Street commentators have fretted that the artificial intelligence boom looks like a bubble, with capital spending – which some analysts estimate could reach $3 trillion by 2028 – fattening a few mega-cap firms, while lower-income workers suffer from a slack labor market.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Before turning on the water for the field, the foreman of Tibbitts’ farm fretted building a makeshift levee to keep the water from running too deep at the field’s lowest point.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's particularly telling is that while Cain fretted about the new movie's immigrant themes possibly hurting domestic box office, Superman has actually performed well domestically but struggled internationally.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Physicians and engineers alike fretted about the high stakes if a system malfunctioned.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Coen himself fretted a little over some of the script’s more outrageous moments.
—Luna Adler, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
For months, Wall Street commentators have fretted that the artificial intelligence boom looks like a bubble, with capital spending – which some analysts estimate could reach $3 trillion by 2028 – fattening a few mega-cap firms, while lower-income workers suffer from a slack labor market.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Before turning on the water for the field, the foreman of Tibbitts’ farm fretted building a makeshift levee to keep the water from running too deep at the field’s lowest point.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's particularly telling is that while Cain fretted about the new movie's immigrant themes possibly hurting domestic box office, Superman has actually performed well domestically but struggled internationally.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted
Verb
-
In each case — tobacco, alcohol, opioids — the middle ground eroded.—
Jahan Marcu,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
These brawls further eroded democratic norms, while driving voters away from left-wing and moderate parties who seemed helpless to halt them.—
Time,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The model wore two looks that night, including an eye-turning pink two-piece lingerie set with a sparkly bustier and lacy boy briefs.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Styled by Soki Mak, Kardashian also wore layers of silver cross pendants and chains as seen on the runway.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In Michigan, where nearly 13% of households receive SNAP benefits, news of the pause had families, from Detroit to Interlochen, preparing to go to food pantries and worried about what's to come.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
However, reports about how the university has controlled the use of that money has worried some alumni.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The decision by Aaron Turner, Kuminga’s agent, to go on a media tour in recent weeks while negotiating publicly in hopes of landing a better offer for Kuminga, irritated some with the organization, according to league sources.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
And the web designer from South Dakota certainly must have irritated her former final two ally Vince Panaro on her way out of the Big Brother house.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On one day in late December, Eden barely ate all day.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
-
While neither is an effective big league pitcher at this point, those moves ate into the Yankees’ limited rotation depth.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Four years later, Afghanistan has faded from headlines and those lifelines have frayed.—
Vidushi Mishti Sharma,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Over time, the relationship frayed.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That’s the itch that Winstead’s horror projects have scratched, from The Hand That Rocks the Cradle back to 2006’s Final Destination 3 and 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Fabrics have scratched surfaces, mimicking digital glitches.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sontay rubbed his face and accepted the voluntary departure.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Tom rubbed the back of his neck.—
Bob Cary,
Outdoor Life,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fretted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretted. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share