frayed
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing frayed
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Cay
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Free Lunch
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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.
It’s difficult to shake the feeling that something has frayed in our public interactions since the pandemic.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Maggie Stainton, who manages local pub C'est What in Toronto's St Lawrence Market district, became emotional when she spoke about Canada's frayed ties with the US.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Senhor José joins the ranks of Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener and Gogol’s Akaky Akakievich, frayed creatures of clerical administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
For much of August, when a frayed de facto ceasefire was in effect, U.S. forces did not respond with high-end missiles when Iran attacked oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
I hold onto that hope like the frayed end of a lifeline, because I still refuse to face any of the alternatives.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
