adjective
-
peevish, irritable, or upset
Other Word Forms
- fretfully adverb
- fretfulness noun
- unfretful adjective
- unfretfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of fretful
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.
Oliver is used to hospitals, but is fretful, and wriggles as the research nurse slowly injects the treatment, about a cup full, into a catheter in his chest.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025
The opening track, “Gemini,” is a vivid but fretful tale of modern malaise and a doppelgänger who gives Heynderickx refreshing perspective.
From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2024
Kounalakis would very much like to be California’s next governor, and her fretful appearance in the 30-second spot is very much a part of her strategy to make that happen in November 2026.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2024
Few, the ever fretful coach, seemed pleased not only to be spared the weight of expectations, but also in the knowledge that his team has blossomed as the regular season draws to a close.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2023
She had all the signs of fretful overexcitement, and it was made worse by her long confinement in this stuffy cabin.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.