fractious

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Through sheer force of will, and despite several attempts on his life, President de Gaulle held his fractious country together and established an independent foreign policy, much to the annoyance of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

If it sounds polarised, ill-tempered and fractious, that is because it is.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

SEOUL—After a six-year hiatus, the first passenger trains connecting the capitals of China and North Korea resumed, a sign of warming ties between two countries that have a history of fractious relations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

However, the scenario has prompted a cross section of the typically fractious party to unite behind the belief the field must shrink, whether by candidates’ choice or through pressure.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

She then peeped round to where I sat; so stern a neighbour was too restrictive: to him, in his present fractious mood, she dared whisper no observations, nor ask of him any information.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë