as in sharpened
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something I'll need a well-whetted axe to split the wood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whetted
Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026 And the game itself only whetted his appetite for more information. —Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026 The sheer audacity of the recent Louvre heist has whetted us readers’ appetites for heist stories—space heists, all the better! —Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026 Exposure to the outside world, through her father's work, must have whetted MacLeod's appetite for travel, Crichton says. —Lauren Frayer, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
British Museum As excitement builds for the opening of the new Geffen Galleries at LACMA on Sunday (for priority members; May 4 for the general public), one’s appetite may be whetted to visit other museums. —Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026 And the game itself only whetted his appetite for more information. —Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026 The sheer audacity of the recent Louvre heist has whetted us readers’ appetites for heist stories—space heists, all the better! —Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026 Exposure to the outside world, through her father's work, must have whetted MacLeod's appetite for travel, Crichton says. —Lauren Frayer, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whetted
Verb
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The campaign that year felt predictable — Obama was favored to win — but the political climate was sharpened by the Tea Party, a conservative grassroots movement within the Republican Party that sought to repeal Obamacare.— Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
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As the Beatles began to splinter, Spitz writes, the Stones sharpened their focus.— Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That level of support marks a sharp escalation from previous efforts.— Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
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Kirby said that an impromptu office nap is his trick to staying sharp over his decades-long career in business.— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whetted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/whetted. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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