frayed en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /fɹeɪd/
Etymology
From fray + -ed, from Old French froiier (“to rub against, scrape; thrust against”), from Latin fricare (“to rub, rub down”).
Meanings
- Unravelled; worn at the end or edge.
-
(figuratively) Exhausted, strained, beleaguered, or suffering from stress.
Although relations between the two adversaries were frayed on occasion, Pyeongyang and Washington were able to negotiate and reach a compromise on the key issues that divided them.
2006, Koh Yu-hwan, “Assessment of the Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks”, in Alfonso Ojeda, Alvaro Hidalgo, editors, North Korea and Regional Security, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 45:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more frayed | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most frayed | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (7)
es deshilachado (unravelled) · tl lilit (unravelled) · de ausgefranst (unravelled) · mi tāwekoweko (unravelled) · gl esfiañado (unravelled) · de zerfranst (unravelled) · sv fransig (unravelled)