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
Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson has had a bruising month, with Republicans repeatedly defying his leadership amid growing frustration over how he's led the fractious majority.
—
Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
Congressional Republicans are actually fractious at best, like a room of feral cats the rest of the time—which is why Trump passed only one major piece of legislation in his first term and Republican House speakers last as long as the average mayfly.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
But by the time Season 11 ended on a messy, emotional, fourth-wall-breaking note, the cast had become too fractious (and expensive) to retain.
—Judy Berman, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
With cultural consensuses in disrepair and taste informed by an ever evolving spate of social media and streaming platforms, mainstream music trends were almost reliably fractious.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fractious
Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
Congressional Republicans are actually fractious at best, like a room of feral cats the rest of the time—which is why Trump passed only one major piece of legislation in his first term and Republican House speakers last as long as the average mayfly.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
But by the time Season 11 ended on a messy, emotional, fourth-wall-breaking note, the cast had become too fractious (and expensive) to retain.
—Judy Berman, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
With cultural consensuses in disrepair and taste informed by an ever evolving spate of social media and streaming platforms, mainstream music trends were almost reliably fractious.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fractious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fractious
Adjective
-
This sparked a contentious debate about whether our species originally emerged outside of Africa, before returning there.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
His resignation comes after last month's trial in which inflammatory texts Phelps sent during contentious revenue-sharing negotiations were revealed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But every point matters for the Sabres, and these 2 were enough to put them in the second wild-card spot based on points percentage.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Those interviews can be conducted through wild-card weekend and are limited to three hours in length.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This loss had to be especially tough for the Jayhawks, considering a controversial holding call on KU changed the momentum of the game.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Watson’s combination of scientific achievement and controversial remarks created a complicated legacy.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez initially was angry and defiant.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Venezuela’s interim leader, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, has alternated between taking a conciliatory approach towards Washington and striking a defiant tone.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery was the law in the rebellious states.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
-
This wretched regime is doomed to be overthrown by the risen populace and rebellious youth.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These political executions are a callous attempt by the authorities to frighten and silence an increasingly restive population no longer willing to accept their corrupt and oppressive rule.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Labour MPs are becoming restive.—
Anand Menon,
Time,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As an adult, he was convicted of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury in 2018 and evading an officer with willful disregard for public safety in 2023.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
31 Dec. 2025
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Tran was convicted by a federal jury last September for fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and his willful omission of consulting and rental income from his tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2022.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Importantly, the president already has full legal authority to impose tariffs when other nations’ behavior places an unreasonable burden on our economy, including through environmental negligence.—
Chip Lamarca,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
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The logic was that Spirit had projected the league would grow at a rate that the league itself found unreasonable, and so would not be able to field a team while also paying Rodman.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fractious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fractious. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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