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Antonyms for fretting
| Grammar : Verb |
| Spell : fret |
| Phonetic Transcription : frɛt |
Definition of fretting
Origin :- "be peevish or worried," early 12c., from Old English fretan "eat, devour" (in Old English used of monsters and Vikings; in Middle English used of animals' eating), from Proto-Germanic compound *fra- "for-" + *etan "to eat" (cf. Dutch vreton, Old High German freggan, German fressen, Gothic fraitan). Transitive sense of "eat away" is from late 12c. Figurative sense of "irritate, worry, eat one's heart out" is c.1200. Modern German still distinguishes essen for humans and fressen for animals. Related: Fretted; fretting. As a noun, from early 15c.
- verb worry, be annoyed
- verb upset someone
- verb rub hard
- Mr. Galloway was fuming and fretting at the non-arrival of his clerk, Mr. Jenkins.
- Extract from : « The Channings » by Mrs. Henry Wood
- Give him a touch with the rope's-end, Jem, if ever you do observe him fretting.
- Extract from : « Micah Clarke » by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Sam was forward, keeping a lookout and fretting at the delay.
- Extract from : « The Depot Master » by Joseph C. Lincoln
- Two years passed, and at eighteen she was fretting that half her life had wasted away.
- Extract from : « The Christian » by Hall Caine
- "Fretting again, your Honour," said the man, in a half whisper.
- Extract from : « The Manxman » by Hall Caine
- I think she is fretting because we have not heard from my brother for rather a long time.
- Extract from : « Under Western Eyes » by Joseph Conrad
- He had a stroke of some kind, or fit of one sort or another, brought on by fretting.
- Extract from : « The Fortunes Of Glencore » by Charles James Lever
- If he had half of that sum now he would not be fretting about his pay-roll or his notes.
- Extract from : « In a Little Town » by Rupert Hughes
- You're not fretting because of the paltry little sum I advanced for your rent, are you?
- Extract from : « An American Suffragette » by Isaac N. Stevens
- In peace true soldiers are captive lions, fretting in their cages.
- Extract from : « The Chocolate Soldier » by C. T. Studd
Synonyms for fretting
- abrade
- affront
- agitate
- agonize
- anguish
- bleed
- bother
- brood
- carp
- carry a heavy load
- chafe
- chagrin
- corrode
- displease
- distress
- distress oneself
- disturb
- eat one's heart out
- erode
- excoriate
- fray
- fume
- fuss
- gall
- get into a dither
- get on nerves
- goad
- grieve
- harass
- irk
- irritate
- lose sleep over
- mope
- nag
- nettle
- peeve
- pique
- pother
- provoke
- riffle
- rile
- ripple
- ruffle
- stew
- sweat it out
- take on
- torment
- trouble
- upset oneself
- vex
- wear away
- wear threadbare
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019