Fractious
mediumNegative toneFRAK-shus
adjective
Definition
Irritable, quarrelsome, or prone to conflict
Memory hook
FRACT-IOUS: like a FRACTURE that breaks unity — irritable and prone to causing conflict.
Word roots
Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.
Examples
“The fractious debate between the two politicians lasted for hours without any resolution.”
“After losing the game, the team became fractious and began blaming each other for mistakes.”
Test yourself
Fill in the blank with the right word:
“The ______ debate between the two politicians lasted for hours without any resolution.”
Show answer
fractious
Categories
GRE Tip
Fractious is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "irritable" or "petulant" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "docile".
Related GRE Words
petulant
childishly sulky or bad-tempered; peevish
querulous
habitually complaining in a peevish, whining manner
renounce
to formally give up or reject a claim, right, or belief
conciliatory
intended to placate or win goodwill; appeasing
propitiate
to appease or win the goodwill of
antipathy
a deep, settled feeling of dislike or aversion
Master fractious and 1,000+ GRE words
Learn through stories, practice with real GRE questions, and never forget with spaced repetition.