Fretful, a. — Webster enters it under “fretful”
Etymology: [See 2d Fret.]
Disposed to fret; ill-humored; peevish; angry; in a state of vexation; as, a fretful temper. -- Fret"ful-ly, adv. -- Fret"ful-ness, n.
Syn. -- Peevish; ill-humored; ill-natured; irritable; waspish; captious; petulant; splenetic; spleeny; passionate; angry. -- Fretful, Peevish, Cross. These words all indicate an unamiable working and expression of temper. Peevish marks more especially the inward spirit: a peevish man is always ready to find fault. Fretful points rather to the outward act, and marks a complaining impatience: sickly children are apt to be fretful. Crossness is peevishness mingled with vexation or anger.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for fretfulness; he lists it under anger, anxiety.
Where he writes about it:
Impatience, fretfulness, irritation, peevishness, pettishness, petulance, and vexation express the slighter forms of anger. — from anger
Fretfulness, pettishness, and peevishness are chronic states finding in any petty matter an occasion for their exercise. — from anger
Fretting or fretfulness is a weak complaining without thought of accomplishing or changing anything, but merely as a relief to one's own disquiet. — from anxiety