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.
“The ballroom is literally an imposition between two branches of our government,” the architect David Scott Parker, who’s on the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, fretted to the Times.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
Stock futures slid Tuesday as U.S. inflation picked up faster than expected in April and investors fretted over the stalemate between the U.S. and Iran in their conflict.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
When Sam Altman was briefly fired, then rehired as OpenAI CEO in 2023, the company’s board of directors had fretted over what little they knew about his personal investments and whether they posed potential conflicts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
And many, in a district in which more than 86% of students are low-income, fretted about feeding their kids.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Jethro carried a rifle with him when he went down to John’s place to work; Ellen fretted a great deal about it, but Matt insisted.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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.
