fraught
/frɔ:t/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Filled with or accompanied by something (typically something undesirable or significant): Used to describe a situation, atmosphere, or thing that is permeated by a particular quality, emotion, or risk.
- Causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension: Used to describe a state or relationship that is marked by anxiety, strain, or difficulty.
Examples of Usage
- Filled with or accompanied by:
- The negotiations were fraught with difficulty from the very beginning.
- Her statement was fraught with implications that we could not ignore.
- Characterized by emotional distress:
- After the argument, the atmosphere at home was fraught and uncomfortable.
- They have a fraught history, which makes cooperation challenging.
Advanced Usage
- "fraught with peril/danger/risk": Extremely dangerous or risky.
- The journey through the mountains was fraught with peril.
- "emotionally fraught": Describes a situation charged with intense, often difficult, emotions.
- The family reunion was an emotionally fraught event for everyone involved.
Variants and Related Words
- Fraughtness (noun, rare): The state or quality of being fraught.
- The fraughtness of the situation was palpable in the room.
Synonyms
- Charged: Filled with emotion or tension.
- Laden: Heavily loaded or burdened with.
- Tense: Strained, not relaxed.
- Pregnant (with meaning/significance): Rich with implied meaning.
Antonyms
- Calm: Not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions.
- Peaceful: Free from disturbance; tranquil.
- Uneventful: Not marked by interesting or exciting events.
Notes on Usage
- The word fraught is almost always followed by the preposition "with" when used in the sense of being filled with something (e.g., fraught with meaning, fraught with error).
- When used to mean "tense" or "anxious" without "with," it often describes an atmosphere, situation, or state of mind directly (e.g., a fraught silence, a fraught relationship).
Adjective
- filled with or attended with
- words fraught with meaning
- an incident fraught with danger
- a silence pregnant with suspense
- marked by distress
- a fraught mother-daughter relationship