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DictionaryfrazzleExhaustion
verb / noun

frazzle

FRAZ-ul/frˈæzʌl/

Physical or emotional exhaustion.

Constant noise and tight deadlines frazzle even the calmest workers.

Repeated competing demands visibly wear down an overwhelmed office worker: he slumps with his forehead in one hand while a colleague presents another overflowing tray of work beside an already crowded desk.
Etymology
frazzleMiddle Englishto fray

The earlier verb meant to fray, like clothing or the end of a rope unraveling. That physical wearing-out image extends to exhausting people emotionally, leaving them in a worn-out condition.

More examples

  • By bedtime, I'm worn to a frazzle.
  • The long trip left us completely frazzled.
  • Trying to do everything at once frazzles me.

Forms

frazzle · frazzles · frazzled · frazzling

Similar words

exhaust
Emphasizes using up energy rather than becoming nervously overwhelmed.
drain
Suggests a gradual loss of physical or emotional energy.