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V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary


fraught

adjective

Definition: 1. loaded or full of something; 2. uneasy, charged

Synonyms: full of, loaded, charged, marked by, distressed, anxious, tense

Antonyms: calm, relaxed, empty of

Tips: The modern definition of fraught is derived from the 14th century English fraught, “to load with cargo." For a memory trick, note how fraught is similar in spelling and sound to freight. Now, in line with the idea of loading something with cargo, think of a freight train fraught (overloaded) with cargo, but think of emotional cargo or baggage--it should be used for intangibles (fraught with anxiety, fraught with mistakes) and not tangibles. Fraught can also mean "uneasy, charged, or stressed." Think of the stress of having to hold something heavy or being overloaded with something. Fraught is also similar in meaning and application to rife. See rife for additional analysis.

Usage Examples:

The project was a disaster because it was fraught with problems from the beginning. (full of, loaded)

Crushed by the rejection of her first novel, Hannah remained fraught for weeks. (distressed)

Their relationship was fraught with emotional outbursts and everyone knew it would never last. (full of, marked by)

The assignment was fraught with potential complications, but I volunteered for it anyway. (loaded)


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