fraught

American  

[frawt] / frɔt /

adjective

1. full of, accompanied by, or involving something specified, usually something unpleasant (often followed bywith ): her pain-fraught body; a gathering fraught with joyful sounds.

   a task fraught with danger;

   her pain-fraught body;

   emotionally fraught lyrics;

   a gathering fraught with joyful sounds.

2. characterized by or causing tension or stress: We are living in fraught times.

   He has always been overweight, so his relationship with food is fraught.

   We are living in fraught times.

3. Archaic. filled or laden.

   ships fraught with precious wares.

---

noun

1. Scot. a load; cargo; freight (of a ship).

fraught British  

/ frɔːt /

adjective

1. filled or charged; attended

   a venture fraught with peril

2. informal showing or producing tension or anxiety

   she looks rather fraught

   a fraught situation

3. archaic freighted

---

noun

1. an obsolete word for freight

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unfraught
  adjective
• overfraught
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fraught

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German vracht “freight money, freight”; compare Old High German frēht “earnings,” Old English ǣht “possession”; see freight

Explanation

Fraught means filled with something — often something bad. Your Thanksgiving was fraught with awkward moments when your family saw your blue hair, and it only got worse when you told them you'd quit law school to join the circus. Fraught is related to the word freight, and comes from the Middle English fraughten, meaning "to load with cargo." Think of a cargo ship loaded up with freight for a journey — it's full of supplies, just like Thanksgiving was filled with — or fraught with — awkward moments. Fraught can also describe a situation filled with distress. If relations between two countries are fraught, they are not getting along with each other.

Example Sentences

Both Utako and Fuki chase after human connections fraught with danger, each trying to insulate themselves from the tragedy waiting at home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

The politics around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport—a busy airport serving the nation’s capital and favored by lawmakers for its convenience—are particularly fraught, and families of crash victims have been vocal advocates for safety fixes.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

He said this was because the changes were "fraught with hoops you have to jump through" that "deters a lot of people from even bothering".

From BBC • May 25, 2026

The gaming community has developed a “very, very fraught relationship with AI, and it’s not getting better,” according to Togelius.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

Because the lenders sold many—though not all—of the loans they made to other investors, in the form of mortgage bonds, the industry was also fraught with moral hazard.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• charged
• filled
• replete