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
Her father, a renowned music educator as well as a composer and conductor, was a conspicuous voice urging fretful Americans not to dismiss the music but to listen to what the songs had to say.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for fretful
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretful
Adjective
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Though most people benefit from eating more fiber, some may need to temporarily reduce their fiber intake to help their digestive system heal, such as during a flare-up of irritable bowel disease (IBD), diverticulitis, or Crohn’s disease.4 3.—
Melissa Nieves,
Verywell Health,
7 Mar. 2025
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Tornado Alley is a strip from Nebraska to Texas known for irritable weather systems.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Jacob Tremblay plays Winston's anxious stepson Wade.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
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In a time when many workers are anxious about what AI means for their roles, leaders who speak to both the potential and the limits of AI are earning deeper trust and keeping their teams engaged.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Which forces Plankton and his old nemesis SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) to team up to save Bikini Bottom—and possibly even repair Plankton and Karen’s troubled relationship along the way.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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An arguably even bigger moment came in a landmark Los Angeles court case that showed how state laws had the effect of steering inexperienced and troubled teachers to public schools in the poorest neighborhoods — the ones that need the strongest teachers the most.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Collins was also agitated that Martinelli was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in part because the coaches’ choices were required before the final games were played this past weekend.—
Scott Dochterman,
The Athletic,
13 Mar. 2025
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Over time, Fineman noticed that Peach was growing more lethargic, agitated, and itchy, which interrupted the peace of his beloved routine.—
Colson Thayer,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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About 47 million people faced an enhanced to moderate severe storm threat from Madison, Wis., to Birmingham, Ala. Forecasters grew increasingly worried that intense thunderstorms farther south will likely bring an even greater tornado threat Saturday.—
Sean Murphy and Russ Bynum,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2025
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That’s going to be important because many people are worried about the health of the consumer.—
Adam Sarhan,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Trump won't be on the ballot again, but this week had to make a lot of Republicans who will be very nervous.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
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Mitch [Hurwitz, the show creator] was very nervous.—
Aaron Couch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Here’s an assessment of the weight of the evidence, after another rough week — but one that ended in a perky, if apprehensive, rally off a six-month low Friday afternoon, leaving the S & P 500 more than 6% from its record high reached less than three weeks ago — in the form of a bull-bear debate.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2025
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At the sight of the beautiful low-angle glade covered in undulating powder, the Rogers duo looked equally excited and apprehensive.—
David Goodman,
New York Times,
25 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 22 Mar. 2025.
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