fractious

[ frak-shuhs ]
See synonyms for: fractiousfractiousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. refractory or unruly: a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness.

  2. readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome: an incorrigibly fractious young man.

Origin of fractious

1
First recorded in 1715–25; fracti(on) + -ous

Other words for fractious

Other words from fractious

  • frac·tious·ly, adverb
  • frac·tious·ness, noun
  • un·frac·tious, adjective
  • un·frac·tious·ly, adverb
  • un·frac·tious·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with fractious

Words Nearby fractious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fractious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fractious

fractious

/ (ˈfrækʃəs) /


adjective
  1. irritable

  2. unruly

Origin of fractious

1
C18: from (obsolete) fraction discord + -ous

usage For fractious

Fractious is sometimes wrongly used where factious is meant: this factious (not fractious) dispute has split the party still further

Derived forms of fractious

  • fractiously, adverb
  • fractiousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012