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

The American military presence in Asia is seen by allies as a critical counterbalance in a fractious region where China has been rapidly expanding its military might and a belligerent North Korea has been empowered by closer ties with Russia. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025

This has created creating an unusual wave of national unity in the fractious country. —Josh Fellman, Quartz, 10 Mar. 2025

Speaker Mike Johnson will attempt to hold the fractious Republican majority together and muscle the 100-page bill through the House on Tuesday, likely without help from Democrats. —Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2025

Talks exchanging Ukraine's rare earth minerals for ongoing U.S. aid quickly became a fractious conversation between the world leaders. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 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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