faction

¹

[fak-shuhn]

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

faction

²

[fak-shuhn]

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.

faction

¹

/ 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

faction

²

/ ˈfækʃən /

noun

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

faction

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.”

Other Word Forms

• factionalist noun
• factionalism noun
• factional adjective

Word History and Origins

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 faction²

1965–70; blend of fact and fiction

Word History and Origins

Origin of faction¹

C16: from Latin factiō a making, from facere to make, do

Origin of faction²

C20: a blend of _fact and _fiction

Example Sentences

The paper said it was "of no party or faction" and boasted "a tinge of republicanism".

Read more on BBC

Rival factions formed within the group, with battles for control culminating in the bizarre spectacle of DOGE’s top operational lead being fired and refusing to leave.

Read more on Salon

It also aims to root out groups such as the Jenin Battalion, a loose alliance of fighters from different factions, including Fatah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

To Thucydides, Athenian democracy failed first to contain Sparta and then to contain its own weaknesses of faction and greed.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some Palestinian factions in Ain al-Helweh handed over weapons in September, a Palestinian official said at the time, but Hamas has not announced plans to disarm in Lebanon.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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