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 ².

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

Ouattara, who just completed his second term as president, had previously said he wouldn’t run in 2020, but then jumped into the fray after the sudden death of his handpicked successor.

From Ozy

Other sounds join the fray — calls too high-pitched for human ears to hear.

From Science News For Students

American brands like the coffee chain Starbucks, tech giant Apple, and shoe retailer Vans struggled to stay out of the fray since Beijing viewed any perceived support for the protests as a direct affront to its national sovereignty.

From Fortune

Gore, both physically and intellectually restless, entered the ecological fray after dipping his toes in several other scientific ponds.

From Quanta Magazine

During their confirmation hearings, would-be Supreme Court justices usually present themselves as neutral arbiters of law who make their decisions above the political fray.

From FiveThirtyEight

Under the table, I could see that his combat boots were actually black sneakers, frayed at the seams.

From The Daily Beast

The remaining 10 or so libraries hold frayed remains of ancient books on Quranic studies, science, and law.

From The Daily Beast

Time will tell if the friendships frayed by this conflict will ever be repaired.

From The Daily Beast

Instead, we have watched the bonds that hold Americans together become more frayed.

From The Daily Beast

In this aqua blanket with its frayed edges I smelled home: warm laundry, bacon frying, coffee and cigarettes.

From The Daily Beast

Nevertheless, he was girt with a sword in a ragged scabbard hanging from a frayed and shabby belt of leather.

From Project Gutenberg

Let alone its being months behind the fashion, it was frayed around the bottom and the front breadth was sorely stained.

From Project Gutenberg

And MacRae's patience snapped like a frayed thread before many minutes of futile query.

From Project Gutenberg

On the tenth floor, he moved quickly down the frayed carpet of a corridor and found the service stairs.

From Project Gutenberg

He raised his frayed cap politely and asked whether she were Mademoiselle Orlebar.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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