Standard Lemma guide

fretfulness

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • frĕtʹfəl-nĭs
  • /ˈfɹɛtfəlnɪs/
  • frĕtʹfəl-nəs
  • /ˈfɹɛtfəlnəs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛtfəlnɪs

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality of being fretful, or prone to fretting; an emotional state combining restlessness, anxiety and irritability.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Prone to crying, not sleeping well.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, uncountable, usually

Qualifier: Of an infant

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an irritable petulant feeling

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: irritability, crossness, fussiness, peevishness, petulance, choler

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ill humor, ill humour, distemper

Narrower terms: testiness, touchiness, tetchiness, pet

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English fretful Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English fretfulness From fretful + -ness.