Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

fractious

 
Dictionary: frac·tious   (frăk'shəs) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Inclined to make trouble; unruly.
  2. Having a peevish nature; cranky.

[From FRACTION, discord (obsolete).]

fractiously frac'tious·ly adv.
fractiousness frac'tious·ness n.

Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
Wordsmith Words: fractious
Top

(FRAK-shuhs)

adjective
1. Irritable; cranky.
2. Unruly.

Etymology
From Middle English fraccioun, from Late Latin fraction-, stem of fractio (act of breaking), from Latin fractus, past participle of Latin frangere (to break). Ultimately from Indo-European root bhreg- (to break) that's also the progenitor of words such as break, breach, fraction, and fragile

Usage
"Filling the streets from curb to curb, the normally fractious Lebanese set aside political and religious differences to unite in an unprecedented outpouring of anger at Syrian meddling in their affairs." — Michael Matza; Lebanese Unite For Ex-leader's Farewell; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Feb 17, 2005.

"President Bush welcomed the fractious members of the National Governors Association to the White House yesterday morning." — Dan Froomkin; Bush vs. the Governors; Washington Post; Mar 1, 2005.


Antonyms: fractious
Top

adj

Definition: grouchy, cross
Antonyms: agreeable, amiable, complaisant, good-humored, happy, nice, patient


Obscure Words: fractious
Top
Word Tutor: fractious
Top
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Quarrelsome or irritable.

pronunciation The club became fractious when the members discussed money matters.

Translations: Fractious
Top

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - tvær, genstridig

Nederlands (Dutch)
onhandelbaar, humeurig

Français (French)
adj. - grognon, tendu

Deutsch (German)
adj. - aufsässig, reizbar, widerspenstig

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - δύστροπος, γκρινιάρης

Italiano (Italian)
irritabile, indisciplinato, ribelle

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - irritado

Русский (Russian)
капризный, неуправляемый

Español (Spanish)
adj. - indócil, intratable, rebelde

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - grinig, bråkig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
易怒的, 脾气不好的, 倔强的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 易怒的, 脾氣不好的, 倔強的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 성미 까다로운

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 怒りっぽい, 手に負えない, 気難しい

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) عنيد , نكد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮עצבני, רגזן, פרוע‬


 
 
Learn More
peevish
Wilfried Martens (Belgian politician)
Pink Floyd: Reflections and Echoes (Music Film)

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Obscure Words. © 2008 by Michael A. Fischer http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

Mentioned in