Answer: tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrlesome, contrary; unpredictable
fractious
adjective
Word Origin late 17th century: from fraction probably on the pattern of the pair faction factious.
Derivatives
Scrabble Points: 14
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A person whose health is easily broken might be described as "frail." A "fraction" is one of the many pieces into which a whole can be broken. But "fraction" also once meant "disharmony" or "discord" - that is a "rupture in relations." From this noun sense came the adjective fractious meaning "unruly" or "quarrelsome."
Fractious is sometimes wrongly used where factious is meant: this factious (not fractious) dispute has split the party still further Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998 2000 2003 2005 2006 2007 2009 2012 WORD OF THE DAY
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fractious adjectiveirritable cross awkward unruly touchy recalcitrant petulant tetchy ratty(Brit. & N.Z. informal) testy chippy(informal) fretful grouchy(informal) querulous peevish refractory crabby captious froward(archaic) pettishThe children were predictably fractious. ...