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frazzled
/ˈfræz.əld/
extremely tired or stressed
After working three overtime shifts, she was completely frazzled.
She felt exhausted and overwhelmed due to excessive work.
informal
extremely tired or stressed, often from too much work or pressure
The frazzled nurse barely had time to eat lunch.
The nurse was so busy and exhausted that she couldn’t take a proper break.
He looked frazzled after the long meeting.
His appearance suggested he was mentally drained from the intense discussion.
Commonly used to describe mental or emotional exhaustion rather than physical fatigue.
Collocations
frazzled from workexhausted due to work pressurelook frazzledappear tired or stressedcompletely frazzledextremely tired or overwhelmed
Pro Tip
Avoid overusing 'frazzled'
Reserve 'frazzled' for situations where someone is visibly overwhelmed or exhausted by stress, not just mildly tired.
Gold Rule
Context matters
Use 'frazzled' for emotional/mental exhaustion, not physical tiredness. For example, 'frazzled from studying' (mental) vs. 'tired from running' (physical).
Word Origin
Late 19th century: from fray + -ed, originally meaning 'worn to threads' (like frayed fabric), later metaphorically extended to mental/emotional exhaustion.
Usage Notes
Frazzled implies a state of being mentally or emotionally drained, often from prolonged stress or overwork. It is more intense than 'tired' but less severe than 'burnt out.'
Word Breakdown
fray
to wear something by rubbing or fraying
root-ed
past participle suffix indicating state or condition
suffixEnglish Dictionary