fractious
(adjective) 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”
cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, petulant, scratchy, testy, tetchy, techy
(adjective) easily irritated or annoyed; “an incorrigibly fractious young man”; “not the least nettlesome of his countrymen”
fractious, refractory, recalcitrant
(adjective) stubbornly resistant to authority or control; “a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness”; “a refractory child”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
fractious (comparative more fractious, superlative most fractious)
Given to troublemaking.
Irritable; argumentative; quarrelsome.
Source: Wiktionary
Frac"tious, a. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. frack forward, eager, E. freak, fridge; or Prov. E. fratch to squabble, quarrel.]
Definition: Apt to break out into a passion; apt to scold; cross; snappish; ugly; unruly; as, a fractious man; a fractious horse.
Syn.
– Snappish; peevish; waspish; cross; irritable; perverse; pettish.
– Frac"tious*ly, v.
– Frac"tious*ness, n.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
16 April 2025
(adjective) marked by richness and fullness of flavor; “a rich ruby port”; “full-bodied wines”; “a robust claret”; “the robust flavor of fresh-brewed coffee”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.