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

Even the new Superman movie flirts with the idea that our fractious species might be improved by an infusion of alien seed into the gene pool. —Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025

The flashpoint is the latest controversy in an increasingly fractious series, which England lead 2-1 ahead of the final game. —Paul Newman, New York Times, 29 July 2025

Now that looks set to finally change as previous fractious relations between the two Asian giants finally begin to thaw. —Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 24 July 2025

Without an appropriate resolution to these challenges, a more fractious federal politics will take hold in India, hindering economic progress and, more significant, curtailing hard-won democratic freedoms. —Yamini Aiyar, Foreign Affairs, 23 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

fract(ion) (in sense "rupture, discord, breach of the peace") + -ious (after captious, factious)

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fractious

• factious

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