frazzled

adjective

fraz·​zled ˈfra-zəld 

1

: in a state of extreme physical or nervous fatigue and agitation

So relentlessly did my partner and I spring into our work throughout the week that by Saturday night we were frazzled wrecks.

—Jack London

A frazzled looking housefrau [=hausfrau], clutching a toilet scrub brush in one hand and the fist of a wailing toddler in the other, confronted me with a look of pure exasperation.

—Paul Di Filippo

She seems relaxed, breathing evenly; there's nothing here to get her frazzled.

—Bob Ottum

2

: damaged or weakened by strain or agitation : frayed

trying to soothe frazzled nerves

Examples of frazzled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many assumed the booking was a mistake made by a frazzled advance staffer who called the wrong Four Seasons. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024

But the ad, just like the candidate behind it, is trying to do so much work—to speak to frazzled parents and to worried seniors and, crucially, to women eager to preserve sovereignty over their bodies and lives. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024

The frazzled fellows had elevated blood levels of the stress hormone corticosterone, which softened the little guys’ pain response. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2024

To feel less frazzled, Jones suggests practicing grounding techniques such as deep breathing—the box method (inhaling, holding your breath, and exhaling for four seconds each) is a therapist favorite—or mindfulness exercises. —Julia Ries, SELF, 18 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 2