fretful en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈfɹɛtfəl/
Etymology
From fret + -ful.
Meanings
- Given to fretting. ▸ Unable to relax: fidgety; restless; worried; anxious.
-
Given to fretting. ▸ Irritable; bad-tempered; grumpy; peevish.
It was another cry, but not quite like the one she had heard last night; it was only a short one, a fretful, childish whine muffled by passing through walls.
1910 November – 1911 August, Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden, New York, N.Y.: Frederick A[bbott] Stokes Company, published 1911, →OCLC:Near-synonyms: fractious, petulant, waspish, impatient, angry, annoyed
I could a Tale vnfold, vvhoſe lighteſt vvord / VVould harrovv vp thy ſoule, freeze thy young blood, / Make thy tvvo eyes like Starres, ſtart from their Spheres, / Thy knotty and combined locks to part, / And each particular haire to ſtand an end, / Like Quilles vpon the fretfull Porpentine: […]
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v], page 257, column 2:[Nick] Bostrom, the philosopher, expressed a sort of resignation about the AI future when we spoke. He used to call himself a “fretful optimist,” he said, but now he’s a “moderate fatalist.”
2026 April 3, Matteo Wong, Lila Shroff, “Silicon Valley Is in a Frenzy Over Bots That Build Themselves”, in Jeffrey Goldberg, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more fretful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most fretful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| fretfull | alternative | lexicographic |
Antonyms
forbearing · uncomplaining · patient · contented · calm · resigned · meek
Deriveds
fretfully · fretfulness · unfretful
Synonyms
impatient · angry · waspish · petulant · fractious · annoyed
Translations (23)
fi ärtynyt (restless) · es irritable (irritable) · nl rusteloos (restless) · fr agité (restless) · nl prikkelbaar (irritable) · de ruhelos (restless) · it agitato (restless) · fi ärtyisä (irritable) · de übelgelaunt (irritable) · bg раздразнителен (irritable) · fr irritable (irritable) · ru неугомо́нный (restless) · ru раздражи́тельный (irritable) · fr fébrile (restless) · ru ворчли́вый (irritable) · it irritabile (irritable) · ga aingí (irritable) · ru беспоко́йный (restless) · es gruñón (irritable) · it ansioso (restless) · de schlechtgelaunt (irritable) · de gereizt (irritable) · fi levoton (restless)