Home › Glossary › Letter F

fret

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To worry, be anxious, or show irritation; to wear away by rubbing or chafing; also to ornament with raised decorative patterns or interlaced designs.

Detailed Definition
As verb, “fret” conveys anxious erosion—“fretting care.” As noun, it describes decorative carving. In poetry, the duality enriches metaphor: minds fret like waves; altars are fretted with gold. Poets use it to explore how time or worry wears down, or how art adorns suffering, blending psychological depth with visual detail in meditative and descriptive verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
"He fretted like a caged lion," in a psychological portrait; In Shakespeare’s Hamlet: "Fret me not with questions"; "The sea frets the shore to sand"; "Fret not, dear heart, all will be well"; Milton’s Satan "frets" in hellish fire; Her brow was fretted with care.
Additional Notes
“Fret” combines emotional worry (“fretting”) and physical erosion (“fretted gold”); in metaphysical poetry, this duality links inner turmoil with external decay, making it a versatile metaphor for time’s corrosive effects.
Also Known As
worry irritate vex cark
Skip to main content