Synonyms of fractious

fractious

adjective

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.

Related Words

• contentious
• controversial
• feisty
• quarrelsome
• surly
• combative
• belligerent
• disputatious
• pugnacious
• polemical
• warlike
• bellicose
• truculent
• restive
• militant
• aggressive
• scrappy
• argumentative
• ornery
• wayward
• stubborn
• balky
• intractable
• recalcitrant
• gladiatorial
• uncooperative
• fighting
• insubordinate
• disobedient
• obstinate
• irritable
• fretful
• cantankerous
• refractory
• battling
• irascible
• unreasonable
• perverse
• contrary
• disagreeable
• petulant
• testy
• peevish
• headstrong
• warring
• obdurate
• uncompromising
• querulous
• resistant
• mulish
• splenetic
• unbending
• snappish
• dyspeptic
• captious
• bilious
• grouchy
• grumpy
• touchy
• waspish
• unyielding
• cross
• choleric
• hardheaded
• ill-tempered
• crabby
• acidic
• cranky
• pigheaded
• pettish
• froward
• huffy
• self-willed
• willful
• ill-humored
• bearish
• ill-natured
• self-opinionated
• rude
• snappy

Dissimilar Words

• amiable
• pleasant
• friendly
• cordial
• amicable
• benevolent
• good-natured
• genial
• easygoing
• sociable
• affable
• gracious
• peaceful
• peaceable
• cooperative
• ingratiating
• pacific
• agreeable
• conciliatory
• good-tempered
• amenable
• compliant
• acquiescent
• complying
• complaisant
• docile
• obedient
• tractable
• submissive
• obliging

2

as in wild

difficult to manage or control

Security guards were overwhelmed by the fractious crowd at the concert.

Related Words

• wild
• defiant
• rebellious
• restive
• willful
• uncontrollable
• unreasonable
• unmanageable
• stubborn
• rebel
• resistant
• unruly
• intractable
• obstreperous
• recalcitrant
• ungovernable
• wayward
• noncooperative
• balky
• bad
• insubordinate
• uncooperative
• disobedient
• mischievous
• refractory
• obstinate
• contumacious
• headstrong
• obdurate
• uncompromising
• contrary
• unbending
• mulish
• disorderly
• unyielding
• untoward
• hardheaded
• froward
• recusant
• pigheaded
• incompliant
• naughty
• errant
• undisciplined
• self-willed
• self-opinionated
• misbehaving
• monkeyish
• monkeying

Dissimilar Words

• cooperative
• amiable
• agreeable
• acquiescent
• deferential
• behaved
• yielding
• respectful
• polite
• disciplined
• well-bred
• dutiful
• obliging
• courteous
• servile
• proper
• obsequious
• subservient
• orderly
• slavish
• decorous
• manageable
• docile
• mannerly
• controllable
• tractable
• obedient
• amenable
• compliant
• submissive
• conformable
• governable
• trainable
• kowtowing
• biddable
• ruly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fractious

In an already fractious region, this alignment could bring conflict to Somaliland’s doorstep. — Mahbub Abdillahi, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Oct. 2026

Albanese and lawmakers from across the political spectrum spoke to media outlets Tuesday, urging their colleagues, reporters and the public to turn down the heat in increasingly fractious political debates. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Tensions in the street are contributing to fractious politics ahead of a presidential race overshadowed by debt that will determine Emmanuel Macron’s successor. — Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026

Hochul has mended her once-fractious relationship with progressives in NYC and statewide, a key of the Democratic coalition, and has forged a close partnership with Mayor Mamdani after years of tension with ex-Mayor Eric Adams. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026

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