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An early instance of the word fraught occurs in the 14th century poem Richard Coer de Lion, about England’s King Richard I. “The drowmound was so hevy fraught / That unethe myght it saylen aught” is about a large fast-sailing ship so heavily fraught—that is, loaded—that it can barely sail. The use is typical for the time; originally, something that was fraught was laden with freight. For centuries, fraught continued to be used in relation to loaded ships, but its use was eventually broadened for situations that are heavy with tension, emotion, or some other weighty characteristic.
Examples of fraught in a Sentence
Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
This is alongside a fraught childhood crush—a friend in a military family who first exposed Lisowski to the particularly brutal films of the Final Destination ilk.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
On the slopes, long-standing ethnic and religious divides are briefly set aside, with rivals cheering one another on despite their fraught history and preconceptions.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Complicated emotions The hours and days after Nevarez's detainment were and remain fraught.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fraught
Cite this Entry
“Fraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraught. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
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