Synonyms for fray
freɪfray

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. fray

   A feud is enmity between families, clans, or parties, with acts of hostility mutually retaliated and avenged; feud is rarely used of individuals, never of nations. While all the other words of the group may refer to that which is transient, a feud is long-enduring, and often hereditary. Dissension is used of a number of persons, of a party or other organization. Bitterness is in feeling only; enmity and hostility involve will and purpose to oppose or injure. A quarrel is in word or act, or both, and is commonly slight and transient, as we speak of childish quarrels; contention and strife may be in word or deed; contest ordinarily involves some form of action. Contest is often used in a good sense, contention and strife very rarely so. Controversy is commonly in words; strife extends from verbal controversy to the contests of armies. Affray, brawl, and broil, like quarrel, are words of inferior dignity. An affray or broil may arise at a street corner; the affray always involves physical force; the brawl or broil may be confined to violent language.

   Synonyms:
   affray, animosity, bitterness, brawl, broil, contention, contest, controversy, dispute, dissension, enmity, feud, hostility, quarrel, strife

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. affray, disturbance, fray, ruffleverb

   a noisy fight

   Synonyms:
   commotion, mental disturbance, hurly burly, disturbance, mental disorder, interference, ruff, folie, upset, flounce, flutter, choker, to-do, psychological disorder, perturbation, furbelow, kerfuffle, fracas, frill, hoo-ha, disruption, altercation, ruffle, noise, neck ruff, affray, hoo-hah

2. fray, frazzleverb

   wear away by rubbing

   "The friction frayed the sleeve"

   Synonyms:
   scratch, frazzle, chafe, fret, rub

3. rub, fray, fret, chafe, scratchverb

   cause friction

   "my sweater scratches"

   Synonyms:
   fuss, eat into, itch, excise, gag, choke, scratch up, nark, erode, fret, excoriate, bother, rile, scrub, gravel, strike, rub, inscribe, rankle, get to, eat away, come up, scrape up, scrape, cancel, nettle, gall, call off, chafe, get at, engrave, scratch, irritate, annoy, frazzle, niggle, rag, expunge, vex, grate, devil, grave

Matched Categories

1. • Break
   • Touch

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. fraynoun

   Synonyms:
   combat, battle, fight

2. fraynoun

   Synonyms:
   broil, quarrel, riot, affray

3. frayverb

   Synonyms:
   rub, wear, fret

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. fraynoun

   Synonyms:
   fight, battle, combat, broil, affray, fret, chafe

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "fray":

   frey

Suggested Resources

1. FRAY

   What does FRAY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the FRAY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce fray?

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use fray in a sentence?

1. Brian Harrison:

   Many of these are rather small business, craft distilleries, and their business and livelihoods were damaged when restaurants closed down, but they jumped into the fray and joined the fight against Covid. It was nothing short of heroic. They are American heroes.

2. Cleveland Police:

   Both of the officers are and will remain on restricted duty, they have been on restricted duty since this incident happened. That's part of our process, not to allow officers involved in critical incidents to go back out there into the fray. They will remain on restricted duty until we complete the administrative process.

3. Pepijn Bergsen:

   In Eastern and Central Europe, where Russia is regarded as by far the number one security threat, relations( with China) had already been starting to fray, but the fact that China so clearly lined up with Russia has accelerated a shift.

4. Dave Walker:

   I used to anchor at CNN, and now I just yell at CNN, i think originally,it was pretty much 99 percent news content… as cable news evolved and more competition came into the fray,you had more opinion, particularly in the evening hours.And I would say that’s the major difference now. But maybe with the new ownership that may revert to more just basic news coverage.

5. Deborah Carr:

   When people first fall in love, where they first feel infatuation, sometimes logic goes out the window, there's lots of data showing that logical thought patterns sometimes get lost in the fray when someone really is very attracted to a person or they're feeling the throes of passion.