fraught

[ frawt ]

adjective

1. full of, accompanied by, or involving something specified, usually something unpleasant (often followed by with ): her pain-fraught body; a gathering fraught with joyful sounds.

   a task fraught with danger;

   her pain-fraught body;

   emotionally fraught lyrics;

   a gathering fraught with joyful sounds.

2. characterized by or causing tension or stress: We are living in fraught times.

   He has always been overweight, so his relationship with food is fraught.

   We are living in fraught times.

3. Archaic. filled or laden:

   ships fraught with precious wares.

noun

1. Scot. a load; cargo; freight (of a ship).

fraught

/ frɔːt /

adjective

1. usually postpositiveand foll bywith filled or charged; attended

   a venture fraught with peril

2. informal.
   showing or producing tension or anxiety

   she looks rather fraught

   a fraught situation

3. archaic.
   usually postpositiveand foll bywith freighted

noun

1. an obsolete word for freight

Other Words From

• o·ver·fraught adjective
• un·fraught adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fraught¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German vracht “freight money, freight”; compare Old High German frēht “earnings,” Old English ǣht “possession”; freight

Word History and Origins

Origin of fraught¹

C14: from Middle Dutch vrachten , from vracht freight

Example Sentences

One source said the talks at times were “fraught and tetchy”.

From BBC

At a fraught time when powerful forces are trying to set people against each other, that’s something good to hold onto.

From Los Angeles Times

The rock and dust samples - the first to be retrieved from the far side of the Moon - were collected by the Chang’e-6 spacecraft, following a nearly two-month long mission which was fraught with risks.

From BBC

“Sentencing a sitting president may be one of the most complicated, fraught sentencing decisions you can imagine,” Ms Cominsky said.

From BBC

Advocates for the immigrant community say that police encounters, already fraught with risk for the city’s undocumented population, will become even more problematic under the expected ramping up of enforcement under a second Trump administration.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• charged
• filled
• replete