fretfulness

fret·ful·ness
F4R1E1T1F4U1L1N1E1S1S1
/ˈfɹɛtfəlnɪs//ˈfɹɛtfəlnəs/

noun

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

Similar
irritabilitycrossnessfussinesspeevishnesspetulancecholer
Scrabble 17
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounfretfulness (usually uncountable, plural fretfulnesses)

plural fretfulnesses

  1. uncountableusuallyThe quality of being fretful, or prone to fretting; an emotional state combining restlessness, anxiety and irritability.
  2. dateduncountableusuallyOf an infantProne to crying, not sleeping well.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan irritable petulant feeling

Similar
irritabilitycrossnessfussinesspeevishnesspetulancecholer
Broader
ill humorill humourdistemper
Also see
chagrincholercrossnessfussinessirritabilitypeevishnesspetulance

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From fretful + -ness.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with fretfulness

regretfulness
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

fretfulness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fretfulness

MLA

“fretfulness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fretfulness. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fretfulness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fretfulness.

Source: fretfulness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.