WHETTED Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

whetted 1 of 2

adjective

as in sharpened

having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something I'll need a well-whetted axe to split the wood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

whetted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of whet

as in ground

to make sharp or sharper whetted the knife with the grindstone

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 whetted

Verb

The team whetted fans’ appetites by promising initiatives involving Fieri throughout the race season. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2026 O’Ward’s full-season teammates, Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, have been joined by Ryan Hunter-Reay, a 45-year-old veteran going into his 18th Indy 500, who won the race back in 2014 and led a chunk of last year’s race that only whetted his appetite for another shot. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 24 May 2026 That whetted her competitive desire. — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026 British Museum As excitement builds for the opening of the new Geffen Galleries at LACMA on Sunday (for priority members; May 4 for the general public), one’s appetite may be whetted to visit other museums. — Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026 The sheer audacity of the recent Louvre heist has whetted us readers’ appetites for heist stories—space heists, all the better! — Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026 Exposure to the outside world, through her father's work, must have whetted MacLeod's appetite for travel, Crichton says. — Lauren Frayer, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whetted

Adjective

Aldabra’s landscape consists of sharp coral and thick, tangled vegetation.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
The continuing tremors represented a sharp increase from the more than 47 aftershocks reported by Rivera during a Friday afternoon news conference.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharp

Verb

There may have been little place for critique in his early images of the luxe life, but their satirical edge sharpened over time, hitting a peak in a spoof of tabloid sensationalism in the September, 1962, issue.

— Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
For a young family of four, the arrival of a second daughter sharpened the constraints of San Francisco life—namely less square footage at higher costs—eventually leading them north to Marin County.

— Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharpened

Browse Nearby Words

whets

whetted

whetting

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Whetted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whetted. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of whetted

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes