fretted

American

[fret-id] / ˈfrɛt ɪd /

adjective

ornamented or provided with frets.

a fretted molding.

fretted British

/ ˈfrɛtɪd /

adjective

ornamented with angular designs or frets
decorated with fretwork

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unfretted adjective

Etymology

Origin of fretted

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at fret ², -ed ²

Vocabulary lists containing fretted

"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 2

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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.

And many, in a district in which more than 86% of students are low-income, fretted about feeding their kids.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Palantir also got a shout-out from Trump on Friday, helping it to claw back some losses during a session in which investors fretted about Anthropic’s new AI model.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Credo’s stock has fallen out of favor this year, losing 17% as investors have fretted about the optical threat.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

I fretted over what to wear, changing three times.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

He fretted in the hallways and stood looking out windows, shaking his hands as if to restore circulation.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023