fretted
Americanadjective
adjective
-
ornamented with angular designs or frets
-
decorated with fretwork
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fretted
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at fret 2, -ed 2
Vocabulary lists containing fretted
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She fretted that she’d be unable to rebuild her audience and livelihood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Gen. Harold G. Moore, who commanded a cavalry unit at the late 1965 Ia Drang battle, fretted how the war was “devastating to the morale and effectiveness of every American unit in combat.”
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Markets fretted Wednesday after Alphabet raised guidance for capital spending this year by $15 billion to around $200 billion and suggested a bigger amount was on tap for next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Damon's Odysseus is stubborn, overconfident and sacrilegious, but doesn't bear that much resemblance to the conniving, hypocritical egotist of lore who fretted over his wife's fidelity," she noted.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
A baby fretted awhile, away off in the dark, crying at the echo of its own cries.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
