His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed.

You're as fractious as Tom.

The U.S. Senate, in a rare bipartisan vote of approval in politically fractious Washington, adopted Tuesday a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to fix the country’s deteriorating roads and bridges and expand broadband internet service.

A fractious child is a troublesome thing to deal with, but a fractious man is far worse.

To him, in his present fractious mood, she dared whisper no observations, nor ask of him any information.