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

A fractious council meeting in December was disrupted by motorists honking their car horns outside, while a man was ejected for barracking councillors with shouts of "shame" after it got under way.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

Allegra Goodman’s family saga coaxes, in Sam Sacks’s words, “excellent, bone-dry humor” out of the skirmishes and long-running battles among members of a loving, fractious clan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Attorneys for the tech titans hit back, saying in opening statements Monday and Tuesday that Kaley’s troubled home life and her fractious relationship with her family were to blame for her suffering, not the platforms.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

She was still too heavy with sleep to sound really fractious, but it was apparent that she felt there was some kind of injustice in the air.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger