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 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 ² British  

/ ˈfækʃən /

noun

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

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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 faction²

1965–70; blend of fact and fiction

Example Sentences

Now, as the Epstein files come out, the country is watching for evidence that either faction is correct.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

They say the regime could adapt and survive, perhaps through conservative cleric Ali Asghar Hejazi, Khamenei’s current envoy to the security apparatus, and Mohammad-Mahdi Mirbagheri, the spiritual leader of an ultraradical faction rejecting any democratization.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Taylor, from the party's conservative faction, won the secret ballot, 34 votes to 17.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

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 • Jan. 25, 2026

He never told me that they could be funny, or that they could critique their own faction from the inside.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

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