fractious

[frak-shuh s]

See more synonyms for fractious on Thesaurus.com

adjective

refractory or unruly: a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness.
readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome: an incorrigibly fractious young man.

Origin of fractious

First recorded in 1715–25; fracti(on) + -ous

Related formsfrac·tious·ly, adverbfrac·tious·ness, nounun·frac·tious, adjectiveun·frac·tious·ly, adverbun·frac·tious·ness, noun

Can be confusedfactional factious fractious

Synonyms

See more synonyms for fractious on Thesaurus.com

1. stubborn, difficult. 2. testy, captious, petulant, snappish, pettish, waspish, touchy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fractious

Contemporary Examples

Relationships in her "blood family," a distinction her brother pointedly made at her funeral, were often strained and fractious.
The Day the Fairytale Died
Marilyn Johnson
July 12, 2014
Starting with the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was largely successful in keeping his fractious caucus largely in check.
2014 New Year’s Resolutions for the D.C. Political Establishment
Ron Christie
January 2, 2014
The story told on these walls is a fractured and fractious one that consciously resists an easy narrative.
Finally, an Accurate Look Back at AIDS Activism in ‘Why We Fight’
Hugh Ryan
December 15, 2013
He was well aware of the fractious history between Congress and the White House on Gitmo and was determined to start anew.
Congress Cooperates, Obama Pushes Hard, and Closing Gitmo Has a Chance
Daniel Klaidman
December 12, 2013
We are a troubled and fractious country, in a difficult neighbourhood.
Rowdy Crowds At Mandela’s Memorial
Mark Gevisser
December 10, 2013

Historical Examples

Correy mooned around the Arpan sub-base like a fractious child.
The Terror from the Depths
Sewell Peaslee Wright
His voice had a fractious tone, as if he combated an unseen tyrant.
Country Neighbors
Alice Brown
I'll break you to pieces, James H., if you are fractious; and I've got the weapons to do it with.
A Pessimist
Robert Timsol
You are old enough to know better, and yet you behave like a fractious child.
Menhardoc
George Manville Fenn
There's a tray for each, of course; but a ball dress is such a fractious thing.
Moods
Louisa May Alcott

British Dictionary definitions for fractious

fractious

adjective

irritable
unruly

Derived Formsfractiously, adverbfractiousness, noun

Word Origin

C18: from (obsolete) fraction discord + -ous

usage

Fractious is sometimes wrongly used where factious is meant: this factious (not fractious) dispute has split the party still further

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fractious

adj.

1725, from fraction in an obsolete sense of "a brawling, discord" (c.1500) + -ous; probably on model of captious. Related: Fractiously; fractiousness.

fractious

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}fractious

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for fractious

Contemporary Examples

Relationships in her "blood family," a distinction her brother pointedly made at her funeral, were often strained and fractious.

Starting with the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was largely successful in keeping his fractious caucus largely in check.

The story told on these walls is a fractured and fractious one that consciously resists an easy narrative.

He was well aware of the fractious history between Congress and the White House on Gitmo and was determined to start anew.

We are a troubled and fractious country, in a difficult neighbourhood.

Historical Examples

Correy mooned around the Arpan sub-base like a fractious child.

His voice had a fractious tone, as if he combated an unseen tyrant.

I'll break you to pieces, James H., if you are fractious; and I've got the weapons to do it with.

You are old enough to know better, and yet you behave like a fractious child.

There's a tray for each, of course; but a ball dress is such a fractious thing.

fractious

Word Origin

usage

Word Origin and History for fractious

adj.

Origin of fractious