faction

¹ American  

[fak-shuhn] / ˈfæk ʃən /

noun

1. a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization, or the like, typically having different opinions and interests than the larger group.

   a faction in favor of big business; rival factions within the company.

2. party strife and intrigue; dissension.

   an era of faction and treason.

   Synonyms:

   friction, split, schism, disagreement, discord

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faction ² American  

[fak-shuhn] / ˈfæk ʃən /

noun

Informal.

1. a form of writing or filmmaking that treats real people or events as if they were fictional or uses them as an integral part of a fictional account.

2. a novel, film, play, or other presentation in this form.

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faction ¹ British  

/ ˈfækʃən /

noun

1. a television programme, film, or literary work comprising a dramatized presentation of actual events

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faction ² British  

/ ˈfækʃən /

noun

1. a group of people forming a minority within a larger body, esp a dissentious group

2. strife or dissension within a group

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faction Cultural  

1. A group formed to seek some goal within a political party or a government. The term suggests quarrelsome dissent from the course pursued by the party or government majority: “His administration is moderate, but it contains a faction of extremists.”

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Other Word Forms

• factional adjective
• factionalism noun
• factionalist noun

Etymology

Origin of faction¹

First recorded in 1500–10; < Latin factiōn- (stem of factiō ) “a doing, company, division,” equivalent to fact(us) “done, made” ( fact ) + -iōn- -ion

Origin of faction¹

1965–70; blend of fact and fiction

Example Sentences

In recent days, after civic elections in Pune and Mumbai, conversations had begun about the possibility of a reconciliation between the two factions of the NCP, led by uncle and nephew.

From BBC

Likely between age 8 and 15, she was enslaved by an ethnic Maya faction in present-day Tabasco state, though it is unclear if she was kidnapped or sold.

From Los Angeles Times

Ours is a history in which New York robber barons used the promise of belonging to splinter the poor into factions and manipulate them into fighting among themselves during the Gilded Age.

From Los Angeles Times

The SDF had long shown fissures among the Kurdish, Arab and other factions that made up its force.

From The Wall Street Journal

None of the top four members -- who by convention correspond to the four "pillars" of Vietnam's collective system of government -- are aligned with the military faction.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bloc
• clan
• gang
• junta
• minority
• party
• sect
• side
• wing