1
as in contentious
given to disagreement or irritation
At the end of what was a fractious campaign, the two former rivals were surprisingly able to settle some of their differences and work together.
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2
as in wild
difficult to manage or control
Security guards were overwhelmed by the fractious crowd at the concert.
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Recent Examples of fractious
Now, Tveit adds, the musical feels more on the nose amid the current fractious political climate.
—
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
Netanyahu’s party has continued to grow increasingly fractious, with hard-right members of his party threatening to bring down his government over any concessions made in the war against Hamas.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
As minority leader, Caldwell will steer an at-times fractious caucus whose members are outnumbered nearly 2-to-1 by their Democratic colleagues.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The 2018 trial led to a fractious battle between the Chuschagasta and Amín’s colleagues, with character witnesses brought in to suggest the entrepreneurs had no intention of taking lives.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fractious
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
Netanyahu’s party has continued to grow increasingly fractious, with hard-right members of his party threatening to bring down his government over any concessions made in the war against Hamas.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
As minority leader, Caldwell will steer an at-times fractious caucus whose members are outnumbered nearly 2-to-1 by their Democratic colleagues.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The 2018 trial led to a fractious battle between the Chuschagasta and Amín’s colleagues, with character witnesses brought in to suggest the entrepreneurs had no intention of taking lives.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fractious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fractious
Adjective
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The close, caring but contentious relationships among the three Williams women constitute some of the new season’s greatest pleasures.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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The filibuster remains a contentious fixture, shaping negotiations and highlighting deep divisions in Congress.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There have been no reports of humans contracting Herpes B from a wild rhesus monkey, but 50 cases of humans contracting it from the monkeys in laboratory settings have been reported.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Russell is their best option at point guard until Irving returns, and Russell can be a bit of a wild animal.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Her visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which its nearest neighbors see as an homage to Japan’s past wartime aggressions, have also angered both of those nations.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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Some celebrants were building political support for the controversial Barge Canal.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On Monday afternoon, Petro remained defiant.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
21 Oct. 2025
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This Irish American neighborhood is famous for its quirky upside-down traffic light, where green proudly sits above red—a symbol of its defiant community spirit.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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According to the researchers, teenage men tend to favor intense, rebellious genres that fuel identity and independence in a phase that peaks early.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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But the couple have yet to conceive an heir, so when Jerome absconds and his dashing friend Manfred (Galitzine) arrives with dastardly intentions, Hero (Corrin), Cherry’s wily and loyal maid, is forced to concoct a plan to distract Manfred by telling captivating stories about rebellious women.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Labour MPs are becoming restive.—
Anand Menon,
Time,
18 Oct. 2025
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The standoff is a political test for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who has drawn scorn from a restive base of left-flank voters pushing the party to hold firm in its demands for health care funding.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The spokesperson said that an immigration judge had terminated his permanent resident status and ordered his removal on June 23, 2022, citing fraud and willful misrepresentation.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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Tessa Thompson stars as the willful heroine, married to a rather meek academic, George Tesman (Tom Bateman), who’s angling for an important university position.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The letter came in response to a September argument from the CPSC that the launching of a new rule-compliant product undermined the argument that the rule was unreasonable.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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This is not unreasonable in the least.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fractious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fractious. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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