frayed
Americanadjective
-
worn to loose, raveled threads or fibers at the outer surface, edge, or end.
I wouldn’t trust that frayed rope to hold anybody’s weight.
She hid her hands in the frayed sleeves of her bathrobe.
-
strained, taxed, or weakened by constant stress; frazzled.
We're going to have a lot of frayed relationships coming out of this crisis.
Candlelight and soft music can soothe frayed nerves after a rough day.
verb
Etymology
Origin of frayed
First recorded in 1810–20; fray 2 + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; fray 2 + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Explanation
When something is threadbare or worn, you can describe it as frayed. Your hand-knit mittens will probably become frayed around the cuffs after many winters. If your favorite pair of jeans is frayed, it may be because you've worn them for years — or they could be deliberately, stylishly frayed from the minute you buy them. Things that are frayed are worn, even unraveling a bit. The earliest meaning, in fact, was "worn by rubbing," from the Middle French frayer, "rub against," by way of the Old French froiier, "rub or scrape," and the Latin root fricare, "to rub."
Vocabulary lists containing frayed
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Cay
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Free Lunch
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hopefully, FedEx’s report can help calm investors’ frayed nerves.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
On the first day of the war, the psychologist at her daughter’s school reached out with advice on how to calm children’s frayed nerves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
The week immediately before the attacks, as diplomacy frayed, Iranian exports were back at their normal levels.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026
Our nerves are frayed, leaving little patience for nuance.
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026
I asked, touching the frayed skin around his thumbnail.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
