frayed


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fray 1

 (frā)
n.
1. A fight; a brawl. See Synonyms at brawl.
2. A heated dispute or intensely competitive situation: "Minneapolis became the latest battleground in the fray over bio-engineering as hundreds of protesters took to the streets" (Todd Wilkinson).
3. A military engagement; a battle.
tr.v. frayed, fray·ing, frays Archaic
1. To alarm; frighten.
2. To drive away.

[Middle English frai, shortening of affrai; see affray.]

fray 2

 (frā)
v. frayed, fray·ing, frays
v.tr.
1. To strain; chafe: repeated noises that fray the nerves.
2. To wear away (the edges of fabric, for example) by rubbing.
v.intr.
To become worn away or tattered along the edges.
n.
A frayed or threadbare spot, as on fabric.

[Middle English fraien, to wear, bruise, from Old French fraier, to rub, from Latin fricāre.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

frayed

(freɪd)
adj
1. (of fabrics or clothing) unravelling at the edges from damage or wear
2. (of temper, nerves, patience, etc) under great strain
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.frayed - worn away or tattered along the edges; "frayed cuffs"
worn - affected by wear; damaged by long use; "worn threads on the screw"; "a worn suit"; "the worn pockets on the jacket"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

frayed

adjective
1. worn, ragged, worn out, tattered, threadbare, worn thin, out at elbows a shapeless and frayed jumper
2. strained, stressed, tense, edgy, uptight (informal), frazzled Nerves are frayed all round.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations

frayed

[freɪd] ADJ
1. [cloth, garment, cuff,] → deshilachado, raído; [rope] → desgastado
2. [nerves] → crispado
tempers were getting frayedlos ánimos se estaban caldeando, la gente estaba perdiendo la paciencia
3. [person] (= strained) → tenso
he's beginning to look a bit frayed around the edges (fig) → ya se le empiezan a notar los años
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

frayed

[ˈfreɪd] adj
(because of irritation) to be frayed
Tempers were frayed → L'exaspération gagnait.
to become frayed
Nerves became frayed → L'exaspération gagnait.
(because of stress)
Her nerves were frayed → Elle était à bout de nerfs.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

frayed

adj jeans etcausgefranst; (fig)gereizt, angespannt; my nerves are quite frayedich bin mit den Nerven runter or am Ende (inf); tempers were frayeddie Gemüter waren erhitzt; I’m a bit frayed at or around the edges (inf)ich bin ziemlich mit den Nerven runter (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

frayed

[freɪd] adjsdrucito/a, logoro/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
The Sheep eating the acorns inadvertently frayed and tore the cloak.
Then he carefully scrutinized the broken and frayed end where it had snapped off when the burglar had dragged it down.
It was frayed at the sleeves and little holes had appeared at the knees and elbows.
He wore shabby black clothes, with holes at the elbows of his coat and frayed trousers.
I judged him to be a bachelor from the frayed condition of his linen, and he appeared to have sustained a good many bereavements; for, he wore at least four mourning rings, besides a brooch representing a lady and a weeping willow at a tomb with an urn on it.