as in irritable
tending towards or characterized by agitation or irritability
They finally lulled the fretful baby to sleep. I kept having fretful thoughts about what would happen if we couldn't pay our bills.
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Recent Examples of fretful
There’s naïve Jill (Nicola Turner and then, in adulthood, Helena Wilson), excitable Ruby (Sophia Ally and Ophelia Lovibond), and fretful Gloria (Nancy Allsop and Leanne Best); and then—played by Lara McDonnell as a teen and by Donnelly in a pointed piece of double-casting as an adult—there’s Joan.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Which is neurotically fretful for a chef who prides himself on buying the very best ingredients in the market.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
In 2020, Joe did sterling work managing the inheritance of the Trump administration, but for weeks there’s been a fretful question mark over his ability to win reelection.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
Nothing gave voice to the fretful backlash more than Trump.
—James Morone, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Which is neurotically fretful for a chef who prides himself on buying the very best ingredients in the market.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
In 2020, Joe did sterling work managing the inheritance of the Trump administration, but for weeks there’s been a fretful question mark over his ability to win reelection.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 July 2024
Nothing gave voice to the fretful backlash more than Trump.
—James Morone, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretful
Adjective
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This misalignment impairs your sleep and concentration, and can leave you feeling irritable.—
Mackenzie Gamble,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2025
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Here’s one way to take your mind off a certain election that seems to have everyone tense and irritable these days — consider that Tahoe ski season is almost here.—
Randy McMullen,
The Mercury News,
31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Socially anxious and snobby, Victoria is dedicated to keeping her three children on the same affluent life path she's followed.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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That is a disconcerting, even chilling prospect for sources in the news division, who see the legendary house of Murrow and Cronkite caught in the middle as controlling Paramount Global shareholder Shari Redstone is anxious to close the transaction.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Europe’s troubled luxury sector is showing signs of revival after an upbeat earnings season.—
Karen Gilchrist,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2025
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More bluntly – and, journalistically, more truthfully, accurately, and appropriately – these are troubled times, chaotic times.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The lawsuit asserts the officers were informed that Bruce was experiencing a seizure and should have known to not restrain him or perceive agitated behavior as deliberate hostility or resistance, in accordance with Police Officer Standards and Training guidance.—
Sierra Lopez,
The Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2025
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In notable ways, the night unfolded very differently from a Rage Against the Machine concert, which are dependably explosive gatherings, a nightly manifesto on social justice amid the crushing riffs and agitated vocals.—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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With the recent temporary suspensions on research grant reviews and payments for researchers and talk of mass layoffs and budget cuts at the National Science Foundation, scientists are already worried about how science funding will be affected.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
18 Feb. 2025
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That’s a lot of CO2, something airlines are increasingly worried about.—
Jackie Snow,
Quartz,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Atop all this, Floria is charged with supervising nervous, error-prone student nurse Amelie (Selma) — tempers fray as precious time runs out.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
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In the final round, a nervous Castle missed his first four dunk attempts for his first dunk of the round, before finishing with pizzaz on a between-the-legs up-and-under one-handed flush.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Automation has reshaped entire industries, leaving many workers apprehensive about their future.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
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But many were also apprehensive about the return of Soviet power.—
Franziska Exeler,
The Dial,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Rojas’s recollections weren’t peevish—fine work was produced under these conditions.—
Ian Parker,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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The songs are muscular and syncretic as ever, but the normally peevish rapper doesn’t maintain his trolling energy for the full record, settling into a questioning and pensive pace.—
Stephen Kearse,
TIME,
8 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Fretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretful. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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