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.

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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

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noun

1. an obsolete word for freight

Other Word Forms

• overfraught
  adjective
• unfraught
  adjective

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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

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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

See Examples For:

fraught

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro will rally their supporters one last time on Saturday, closing a fraught election campaign one day after a combative final debate.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

Pitching the crowd of creatives on Wednesday, he said the transition from practical effects to computer graphics was equally fraught.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

The back-and-forth encapsulated how a decision that used to be simple—whether or not to receive the ball at the start of overtime—has become hopelessly fraught.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Saturday's attack on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh is another dangerous moment in a region that is already fraught with tension and conflict.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

As much as we tried to create a buffer between them and the more fraught aspects of Barack’s job, I knew that Sasha and Malia still had a lot to take in.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• charged
• filled
• replete

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