frayed

American  

[freyd] / freɪd /

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.

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verb

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

Etymology

Origin of frayed

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

Explanation

When something is threadbare or worn, you can describe it as frayed. Your hand-knit mittens will probably become frayed around the cuffs after many winters. If your favorite pair of jeans is frayed, it may be because you've worn them for years — or they could be deliberately, stylishly frayed from the minute you buy them. Things that are frayed are worn, even unraveling a bit. The earliest meaning, in fact, was "worn by rubbing," from the Middle French frayer, "rub against," by way of the Old French froiier, "rub or scrape," and the Latin root fricare, "to rub."

Example Sentences

There are absolutely weeks where I can barely make it through one fluorescent-lit supermarket run without feeling emotionally frayed and financially humbled by the price of olive oil.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

Inside, the wallpaper is flaking, carpets are frayed and doors are broken.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

The British government hopes the king’s visit will help repair some of the frayed ties between the two countries’ political leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The reel was shrunken through age and frayed, but otherwise in remarkable condition for something stashed in sun-heated attics for years.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

We talked that night over dinner about Malia’s flute lessons; Sasha’s ongoing devotion to her perilously frayed Blankie, which she kept draped over her head as she slept at night.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

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