fractious meaning and definition

FRACTIOUS adjective

Definition of fractious (adjective)

1. stubbornly resistant to authority or control
   • "a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness"; "a refractory child"
   • synonyms: recalcitrant, refractory
2. easily irritated or annoyed
   • "an incorrigibly fractious young man"; "not the least nettlesome of his countrymen"
   • synonyms: cranky, irritable, nettlesome, peckish, peevish, pettish, petulant, scratchy, techy, testy, tetchy
3. unpredictably difficult in operation; likely to be troublesome
   • "rockets were much too fractious to be tested near thickly populated areas"; "fractious components of a communication system"