fractious

adjective

frac·tious ˈfrak-shəs

Synonyms of fractious

: tending to be troublesome : unruly

a fractious crowd

: quarrelsome, irritable

a fractious political campaign

fractiously adverb

fractiousness noun

Did you know?

The Latin verb frangere means "to break or shatter" and is related to a few common words, which is evident in their meanings. Dishes that are fragile break easily. A person whose health is easily broken might be described as frail. A fraction is one of the many pieces into which a whole can be broken. But fraction also once meant "disharmony" or "discord"—that is, a "rupture in relations." From this noun sense came the adjective fractious.

Examples of fractious in a Sentence

The fractious crowd grew violent.

Recent Examples on the Web

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Iran’s fractious social fabric Iran has a diverse population, including Persians, Azeris, Arabs, Baloch and Kurds. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 20 June 2025 What’s more, the Senate used to be a more dignified, less partisan place — especially when compared with the fractious House. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025 Generally speaking, Reichardt’s social commentary is only surface-scratching, the fractious Civil Rights dynamics and wartime unrest relegated to those TV news briefs, the protest posters papered on walls throughout town. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 May 2025 Scholz also had to manage a fractious three-party coalition. —Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fractious