3 meanings
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1 —as in:
frayed cloth
Definition
showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose- The cuffs were frayed from so many washings.
frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- I'm not trusting my life to that frayed rope!
- She likes frayed jeans.
- He wore shabby black clothes, with holes at the elbows of his coat and frayed trousers.W. Somerset Maugham -- Of Human Bondage
- "It is very pretty, madam," said he, gravely examining it; "but I do not think it will wash well; I am afraid it will fray."Jane Austen -- Northanger Abbey
- Sickened and starving, his will a fraying wire, Louie had only the faint hope of the war's end, and rescue, to keep him going.Laura Hillenbrand -- Unbroken
- The next morning I met Dinitia in front of the pool entrance, my thrift-shop one-piece rolled inside my frayed gray towel.Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle
- The dishes were chipped and the blankets frayed and no amount of beating could remove their musty smell.Pam Munoz Ryan -- Esperanza Rising
- There was nothing in the room, just a frayed rug, a few dishes, a pair of mattresses, and a lantern.Khaled Hosseini -- The Kite Runner
- As she pulled on her red jacket and tied the frayed and knotted laces of her shoes, she thought about it.Jeanne DuPrau -- The City of Ember
frayed = showing wear
fraying = coming unraveled
frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose
frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose
frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose
frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose
2 —as in:
frayed nerves
Definition
emotionally strained (worn thin)- The constant pressure has frayed her nerves.
frayed = emotionally strained
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- My nerves are beginning to fray.
- He looked like he was fraying at the edges.Alexandra Bracken -- The Darkest Minds
- Every morning it's the same: the Americans ever closer, the Germans fraying at the seams.Anthony Doerr -- All the Light We Cannot See
- That was before we knew about the fraying wires in his skull.Laurie Halse Anderson -- The Impossible Knife of Memory
- "You've got until sunrise," said Magnus, temper visibly fraying.Cassandra Clare -- City of Bones
- Your patience would fray, you'd soon head for home ....Homer -- The Odyssey
- His nerves are frayed.Rick Riordan -- The Blood of Olympus
- I tried to stay calm, but the way he spat the word out—Blue—rankled my already frayed nerves.Alexandra Bracken -- The Darkest Minds
- His voice trailed off, but I picked up the frayed ends of his thought all the same—how could I not?Alexandra Bracken -- The Darkest Minds
fray = become emotionally strained
fraying = becoming emotionally strained
fraying = becoming emotionally strained
fray = to strain emotionally, or to become emotionally strained
frayed = emotionally strained
3 —as in:
into the fray
Definition
a noisy fight, controversial debate, or other exciting situation that usually is not well organized- I'm hesitant to join the political fray.
fray = fight or struggle
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The special forces operation put the US back into the political fray in the Middle East.
- But if she rushed into the fray herself she would be first censured, then despised, and finally ignored.E.M. Forster -- A Room With A View
- He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray.Job 39:21 (NIV)
- not in the fury of any mortal fray, but in an elemental strife at sea.Herman Melville -- Moby Dick
- Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?William Shakespeare -- Romeo and Juliet
- Without them I wouldn't be able to jump back into the fray with my usual composure.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- Jason didn't really understand, but he nodded, and Will and Nico dashed off into the fray.Rick Riordan -- The Blood of Olympus
- Where are the vile beginners of this fray?William Shakespeare -- Romeo and Juliet
- Right glad I am he was not at this fray.William Shakespeare -- Romeo and Juliet
fray = fight or struggle
fray = fight
the fray = fight or struggle
the fray = a noisy fight or other exciting situation
fray = fight
fray = fight
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