FRETS Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

frets 1 of 2

noun

plural of fret

as in panics

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

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frets

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of fret

as in erodes

to consume or wear away gradually over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wears

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

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as in worries

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

as in irritates

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

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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 frets

Noun

Khn plays a custom double-neck guitar-bass with twice the usual number of frets on each side, looping the two halves together in real time with foot pedals. — Josh Martin, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026 This machine will actually press the strings down between frets and pluck those strings in time, like a human guitarist. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2026 The viol family included larger instruments known as viols da gamba, which were played between the legs and often featured frets similar to those found on guitars. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 July 2026 The Nasdaq Composite Index has slipped nearly 3% this week as Wall Street frets over whether the trillions of dollars going into artificial intelligence will deliver the revenue and profit growth needed to justify that exorbitant cost. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 25 June 2026 Retail businesses celebrate While the central bank frets, some businesses are already preparing for these workers to spend their windfalls at their stores. — Lim Hui Jie,blair Baek, CNBC, 20 June 2026 There’s only six strings and what, 20 frets? — Charles Moss, SPIN, 9 June 2026 Naturally, Elsa frets over the situation, but their parents, preoccupied with their own divorced lives, reckon otherwise. — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 16 May 2026 This mandolin is quite different from my flat-back, the strings closer together, the arm shorter, the frets more tightly spaced. — Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026

Verb

As the industry frets about consolidation, the slow decline of entertainment on broadcast TV in favor of live sports is yet another way Hollywood’s creative class is getting squeezed. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026 Kate, for her part, frets that her grieving husband is lacking male companionship. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Baelor’s brother, Maekar — who actually delivered the killing blow — also frets over how Duncan has changed the course of history. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026 Every generation finds new ways to parent, and every generation frets about it. — Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frets

Noun

David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.

— Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
As much as Payton bristles about media storylines and huffs about tempo questions, the Broncos went 25 minutes without a first down against Las Vegas.

— Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Nov. 2025

Definition of huffs

Verb

Infrastructure built over generations erodes when demand isn’t there to support it.

— Catherine Salfino, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
In some parts of the country, dangerous sinkholes are opening as aging, abandoned mine infrastructure erodes beneath communities, roads and public lands.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of erodes

Verb

Sanabria is not sold on the city’s pricey plans to build a new garage, known as the Mobility Hub, a pet project of Lago and Iglesias, and worries businesses will be hurt during the construction process.

— Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Asked by ranking member Michael Bennet (D-CO) what worries him the most, Fauci said the possibility of a pandemic flu.

— Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of worries

Verb

Knowing that Madame Lalouette’s sales numbers are too high to fire her, Carla attempts to transfer Madame Morel to a different department — a move that irritates her superiors and highlights her weakness.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
With contact dermatitis, a product like a soap or chemical irritates the skin or causes an allergic reaction, leading to symptoms like itching, discoloration, swelling, or even blisters.

— Ayren Jackson-Cannady, Allure, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of irritates

Noun

To make things easy, stick to sweats or its Crepette line—this pants and jacket set in Flint Green is from the latter.

— Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026
Wear it comfortably with jeans, sweats, skirts, leggings, and under cardigans, sweaters, denim jackets, and more.

— Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of sweats

Verb

Conjuring the troubled inner life of a young, successful Buenos Aires fashion designer with an uncommon mix of stylistic rigor and feeling, the film frays your nerves.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
The coalition of supporters frays Still another issue is conflict within the legalization movement itself, particularly between the business and activist wings.

— William Garriott, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026