Sample sentences for FRAYED - verbalworkout.com

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!

frayed = showing wear

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

fraying = coming unraveled

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

frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose

The dishes were chipped and the blankets frayed and no amount of beating could remove their musty smell.
Pam Munoz Ryan -- Esperanza Rising

frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose

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

frayed = showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose

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 with threads beginning to separate or hang loose

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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.

fray = become emotionally strained

He looked like he was fraying at the edges.
Alexandra Bracken -- The Darkest Minds

fraying = becoming emotionally strained

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

fraying = becoming emotionally strained

Your patience would fray, you'd soon head for home ....
Homer -- The Odyssey

fray = to strain emotionally, or to become emotionally strained

His nerves are frayed.
Rick Riordan -- The Blood of Olympus

frayed = emotionally strained

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

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

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.

fray = fight or struggle

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

fray = fight

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

the fray = fight or struggle

Jason didn't really understand, but he nodded, and Will and Nico dashed off into the fray.
Rick Riordan -- The Blood of Olympus

the fray = a noisy fight or other exciting situation

Where are the vile beginners of this fray?
William Shakespeare -- Romeo and Juliet

fray = fight

Right glad I am he was not at this fray.
William Shakespeare -- Romeo and Juliet

fray = fight

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

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