fractious
adjective
frac·tious
ˈfrak-shəs 
1
: tending to be troublesome : unruly
a fractious crowd
2
: 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
While friction on the trade front has been heating up, overall relations are somewhat less fractious.
—
Time, 4 Apr. 2025
Its autocratic government brooks no dissent so decision-making should be easier than in fractious America and decisions should stick longer.
—Bob Davis, Time, 12 Apr. 2025
For those who, against all evidence to the contrary, dismiss these ambitions as mere delusions, that's exactly what the British Empire—the mightiest global force of its day—said when 13 fractious colonies issued the Declaration of Independence almost 250 years ago this July.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
While friction on the trade front has been heating up, overall relations are somewhat less fractious.
—Time, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fractious
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Time, 4 Apr. 2025
Its autocratic government brooks no dissent so decision-making should be easier than in fractious America and decisions should stick longer.
—Bob Davis, Time, 12 Apr. 2025
For those who, against all evidence to the contrary, dismiss these ambitions as mere delusions, that's exactly what the British Empire—the mightiest global force of its day—said when 13 fractious colonies issued the Declaration of Independence almost 250 years ago this July.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
While friction on the trade front has been heating up, overall relations are somewhat less fractious.
—Time, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fractious
Cite this Entry
“Fractious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fractious. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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