Fret — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈfret/

Meaning & Definition of Fret

Fret (verb)

  1. to cause to suffer emotional strain, vex
  2. to pass (time) in fretting
  3. to eat or gnaw into, corrode; also, fray
  4. to decorate with interlaced designs
  5. to form a pattern upon
  6. to enrich with embossed or pierced carved patterns
  7. to press (the strings of a stringed instrument) against the frets

Fret (noun)

  1. the action of wearing away, erosion
  2. a worn or eroded spot
  3. an agitation of mind, irritation
  4. an ornamental network; especially, a medieval metallic or jeweled net for a woman's headdress
  5. an ornament or ornamental work often in relief consisting of small straight bars intersecting one another in right or oblique angles
  6. one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument (such as a guitar)

Fret (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to consume or wear away gradually

    "over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel"

    similar: bite (at), corrode, eat, erode, gnaw, nibble
    related: break down, break up, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve, decimate, destroy, devastate, ruin, waste, wreck
    near: freshen, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, restore, revitalize, revive

  2. 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"

    similar: abrade, chafe, corrade, erode, fray, frazzle, gall, rasp, rub, wear
    related: file, gnaw, grate, graze, grind, nibble, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scuff, shave, erase, reduce, rub out, wear out, wipe (away), bite, break down, break up, chew, corrode, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve, eat, hone, sharpen, whet

  3. to experience concern or anxiety

    "don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it"

    similar: bother, fear, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble, worry, give a hang, sweat blood
    related: agonize, long, pine, yearn, chafe, despair
    near: accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

  4. 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"

    similar: abrade, chafe, excoriate, gall, irritate
    related: graze, scrape, scratch, burn, inflame, flay, peel, skin

Fret (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a state of nervous or irritated concern

    "one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper"

    similar: dither, fluster, fuss, huff, lather, pother, stew, sweat, swelter, swivet, tizzy, twitter
    related: bother, dudgeon, pique, alarm, hand-wringing, panic, ado, agitation, delirium, distraction, furor, hysteria, uproar, nervous breakdown

Related Entry: Fret (about or over) (verb)

Fret (about or over) is a different word from Fret. The synonyms below are for fret (about or over), not for fret.

  1. as in brood (about or over), obsess (about or over)

    similar: brood (about or over), dwell (on or upon), fixate (on or upon), obsess (about or over), second-guess, speculate (about), believe, conceive, opine, conclude, reason, absorb, assimilate, digest, drink (in), analyze, explore, review, muse (upon), reflect (on or upon), reminisce, chew over, cogitate, consider, contemplate, debate, deliberate, entertain, eye, kick around, meditate, mull (over), perpend, ponder, pore (over), question, revolve, ruminate, study, think (about or over), turn, weigh, wrestle (with)
    opposite: disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, dismiss, pooh-pooh, reject

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fret

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fret:

bite (at), corrode, eat, erode, gnaw, nibble, abrade, chafe, corrade, fray, frazzle, gall, rasp, rub, wear, bother, fear, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble, worry, excoriate, irritate, give a hang, sweat blood, dither, fluster, huff, lather, pother, swelter, swivet, tizzy, twitter

Related Words for Fret

break down, break up, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve, decimate, destroy, devastate, ruin, waste, wreck, file, grate, graze, grind, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scuff, shave, erase, reduce, rub out, wear out, wipe (away), bite, chew, hone, sharpen

Near Antonyms of Fret

freshen, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, restore, revitalize, revive, accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

Word Forms of Fret

Inflections: fretted, fretting

Derived words: fretless (adjective), fretted (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Fret

Middle English, to devour, fret, from Old English fretan to devour; akin to Old High German frezzan to devour, ezzan to eat eat

First known use: 12th centuryt

Frequently Asked Questions about Fret

What does "Fret" mean?

"Fret" means to cause to suffer emotional strain, vex. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to cause to suffer emotional strain, vex. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fret"?

Other words for "Fret" include bite (at), corrode, eat, erode, gnaw, nibble, abrade and chafe. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Fret" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Fret"?

There are 91 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fret". Common alternatives include bite (at), corrode, eat, erode, gnaw, nibble, abrade, chafe, corrade and fray.

How do you use "Fret" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fret" in a sentence: "over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel"; "don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him"; "don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it".

Is "Fret" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Fret" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Fret"?

"Fret" is pronounced /ˈfret/.

What is the origin of the word "Fret"?

"Fret" comes from Middle English, to devour, fret, from Old English fretan to devour; akin to Old High German frezzan to devour, ezzan to eat eat. First known use: 12th centuryt.

What is another word for "Fret" meaning "to consume or wear away gradually"?

When "Fret" (verb) means to consume or wear away gradually, synonyms include bite (at), corrode, eat, erode, gnaw and nibble.