What does fashed mean?
Fashed is the past tense of the chiefly Scottish verb 'to fash', meaning to annoy, trouble, or bother. To say someone is fashed is to say they are irritated or put out by a matter, usually a minor one. The word belongs firmly to the vocabulary of Scotland and northern England, where it survives in everyday speech and in beloved phrases such as 'dinnae fash yourself', meaning don't worry or don't trouble yourself. Its flavour is warm and colloquial rather than formal, and its use instantly signals Scottishness in writing or dialogue. The word has literary pedigree too: it appears in the poetry and prose of writers such as Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. For readers outside Scotland, fashed is worth knowing both as a charming regionalism and as a reminder that English is richly textured with local voices that preserve words largely lost elsewhere.
verbPast tense of 'fash': annoyed, troubled, or bothered by something.
- Annoyed, vexed, or bothered (past tense of the verb 'to fash')
"She was fair fashed by the constant interruptions during the meeting."
"He was sorely fashed when his neighbour's dog trampled the flowerbeds again."
""Dinnae be fashed," she said calmly, "the train doesn't leave for another hour.""
Robert Burns himself used this word in his verse, and it still lives on in Scotland every time someone says "dinnae fash yourself" — don't trouble yourself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fashed
The word derives from the verb 'fash', which entered Scots and Northern English from Old French 'fascher', meaning to annoy or anger. The French verb itself is of uncertain deeper origin. A modern French doublet survives in 'fâcher', which likewise means to anger or vex. The word established itself early in Scots and was widely used in Scottish literature, including the work of Robert Burns in the eighteenth century.
Related word forms
How fashed is actually used
Strongly associated with Scottish speech and often used affectionately or colloquially rather than in formal writing. The negative imperative phrase "dinnae fash" remains a familiar idiom.
Easily confused with fashed
'Fazed' means disconcerted or stunned, while 'fashed' is a Scots term meaning merely annoyed or troubled.