frayed

[freyd]

adjective

1. worn to loose, raveled threads or fibers at the outer surface, edge, or end.

   I wouldn’t trust that frayed rope to hold anybody’s weight.

   She hid her hands in the frayed sleeves of her bathrobe.

2. strained, taxed, or weakened by constant stress; frazzled.

   We're going to have a lot of frayed relationships coming out of this crisis.

   Candlelight and soft music can soothe frayed nerves after a rough day.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of fray.

Word History and Origins

Origin of frayed¹

First recorded in 1810–20; fray ² + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; fray ² + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Germany and China have long had deep economic ties, but those have frayed in recent times over issues ranging from claims of unfair trade practices to protectionism.

Read more on Barron's

Lips chapped and tempers frayed, and the ceaseless ringing and jingling of the troika bells grew so wearisome, it was like something out of Poe.

Read more on Literature

Learning a musical instrument can be an arduous journey, one often fraught with blistered fingers, frayed patience and what can seem like an endless series of insurmountable hurdles.

Read more on BBC

Led by Germany, European governments are poised to spend more heavily on defense and rehabilitating frayed infrastructure over coming years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As we watched, he uncovered a frayed, brownish jumper covered in dirt.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• crummy 
• decaying www.thesaurus.com
• decrepit 
• desolate 
• dilapidated 
• dingy 
• pitiful 
• ramshackle 
• ratty 
• rickety 
• run down 
• scruffy 
• seedy 
• shoddy 
• squalid 
• tacky 
• tattered 
• threadbare 
• worn