fretful

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   worried, restless, or unable to relax

   The fretful child woke repeatedly during the storm.

2. 2
   adj

   irritable and inclined to complain

   After hours in the crowded station, the passengers grew tired and fretful.

Common collocations

• fretful sleep Adjective + noun

From fret + -ful. Fret in the sense 'worry or be distressed' developed from an older verb meaning 'devour or wear away,' so anxiety is pictured as something that consumes a person.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images