adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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US:/ˈfɹæk.ʃəs/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ækʃəs
CMU ARPABET:F R AE1 K SH AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Given to troublemaking.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
1835 James Kirke Paulding: The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan Now when the fractious little Beau Napperty heard that Bull had sent over his tenantry to commit trespass upon his marshes, he fell into one of the greatest passions ever known, and swore that Parson Fred should rue the hour he came over into his pastures.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unruly
Antonyms: unfractious
2
adj
Meaning 2
Irritable; argumentative; quarrelsome.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
1841 Western Farmer and Gardener, Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, and Rural Economy. Ed. Thomas Affleck. vol. II. Oct. 1840 to Sept. 1841. Fractious boys should be taught to govern their own tempers before they have the full control of oxen; and fractious men should remember that he who controls his own spirit is mightier than many who govern whole cities.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: unfractious
3
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
unpredictably difficult in operation; likely to be troublesome
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
rockets were much too fractious to be tested near thickly populated areas
