as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags
she wore a beloved but badly frayed flannel shirt
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eroded
to damage or diminish by continued friction
constant rubbing against the rock face has badly frayed our climbing rope
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Recent Examples of frayed
Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2023
Adjective
After years of hostile and frayed relations, Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties and reopen mutual embassies – a deal reportedly brokered by China that has raised eyebrows across the globe.
—Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frayed
Adjective
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McArdle looked down and felt a surge of sadness: The man was sleeping on several layers of cardboard, his head resting on a backpack, a tattered book slipped beneath it.Greg Borowski, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
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Shane Colombo’s father, Ernesto, brought a tattered file of paperwork to each day of the court proceedings.Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The host and journalist Garrett Graff, himself a gun owner, contextualizes the past quarter century of mass shootings by laying out the political and legislative maneuvers that have eroded gun-control laws over the previous 50 years.Marnie Shure, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
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Currents flowing over an area that was eroded long ago by a glacier sweep sediment away, keeping the ancient terrain visible.Ashley Balzer Vigil, Ars Technica, 21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Again, this somewhat ragged rendition isn’t equal to the multi-layered studio version or live ones heard on bootlegs; in particular, the Stills and Young interplay from a Dallas 1968 show makes the Springfield sound like the true originators of the jam band concept.David Browne, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2024
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Carl Wanderer was sentenced to hang for killing the unnamed ragged stranger.Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Its faded and dusty mansions are spangled with Italian marble floors, Mudéjar ceilings, and the fanciest European furniture of the day, now wracked by termites.Lydia Bell, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024
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The board has been forgotten, but its presence looms over everything, not unlike the faded eyes of oculist Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, whose gaze sees all, even quietly desperate Bravo-show guest features that go nowhere.Kinsey Jasnoch, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near frayed
Cite this Entry
“Frayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frayed. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
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