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

By Erik Wasson and Emily Birnbaum, Bloomberg House Republicans’ release of the tax provisions in their massive fiscal bill provides a crucial initial reading of what party leaders think could pass, culminating weeks of intense negotiations among fractious GOP lawmakers. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 13 May 2025

The holiday household is rounded out by a fractious assemblage of relatives, employees, and lovers played by great actors like Clarke Peters, Jack Farthing, and Anjana Vasan. —Judy Berman, Time, 30 Apr. 2025

The former has been a fractious place this season as the club have struggled in League Two. —Matt Slater, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

The politicization of the Indus Waters Treaty marks a new low even by the standards of the historically fractious relationship between the two nuclear powers. —Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr. 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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!