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An early instance of the word fraught occurs in the 14th century poem Richard Coer de Lion, about England’s King Richard I. “The drowmound was so hevy fraught / That unethe myght it saylen aught” is about a large fast-sailing ship so heavily fraught—that is, loaded—that it can barely sail. The use is typical for the time; originally, something that was fraught was laden with freight. For centuries, fraught continued to be used in relation to loaded ships, but its use was eventually broadened for situations that are heavy with tension, emotion, or some other weighty characteristic.
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Examples of fraught in a Sentence
Sable Yong, Allure, 17 Jan. 2025
The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly fraught and tense.
—Mario Cortegana, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
As detailed in his book, Robles grew up with a fraught domestic life, exacerbated when his stepfather walked out on the family.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
With so many fraught feelings about Jews, and about the war in which American soldiers were risking their lives, Hobson was unsure how a novel about domestic antisemitism would be received.
—Rachel Gordan, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near fraught
Cite this Entry
“Fraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraught. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
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