as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags
she wore a beloved but badly frayed flannel shirt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eroded
to damage or diminish by continued friction
constant rubbing against the rock face has badly frayed our climbing rope
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of frayed
Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2023
Adjective
After years of hostile and frayed relations, Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties and reopen mutual embassies – a deal reportedly brokered by China that has raised eyebrows across the globe.
—Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frayed
Adjective
-
Footage shown on local and national TV news showed a tattered segment of the pier floating on the swell with at least one person walking across the debris.Tom Tapp, Deadline, 23 Dec. 2024
-
McArdle looked down and felt a surge of sadness: The man was sleeping on several layers of cardboard, his head resting on a backpack, a tattered book slipped beneath it.Greg Borowski, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The host and journalist Garrett Graff, himself a gun owner, contextualizes the past quarter century of mass shootings by laying out the political and legislative maneuvers that have eroded gun-control laws over the previous 50 years.Marnie Shure, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
-
Currents flowing over an area that was eroded long ago by a glacier sweep sediment away, keeping the ancient terrain visible.Ashley Balzer Vigil, Ars Technica, 21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The ragged metallic roaring scream of a Boeing 727 ascending eastward, a high-pitched whine building to a thundering roar, fading to a drone.Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
-
The car screamed a ragged series of explosive pops.Rachel Kushner, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Cookbook collectors are well acquainted with the wisdom hidden on a faded page or scribbled on old recipe cards used for bookmarks.Rai Mincey, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
-
Its faded and dusty mansions are spangled with Italian marble floors, Mudéjar ceilings, and the fanciest European furniture of the day, now wracked by termites.Lydia Bell, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near frayed
Cite this Entry
“Frayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frayed. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share