definitions

factional

[ fak-shuh-nl ]
/ ˈfæk ʃə nl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR factional ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of a faction or factions.
self-interested; partisan: Factional interests had obstructed justice.

RELATED WORDS

squabble, warfare, clash, discord, disunity, disagreement, fighting, dissension, quarrel, wrangle, friction, animosity, controversy, rivalry, conflict, dispute, wrangling, bickering, hostility, strife

Nearby words

fact-finding, factice, facticity, faction, faction fight, factional, factionalize, factious, factitious, factitious disorder, factitive

Origin of factional

First recorded in 1640–50; faction1 + -al1

Related forms

fac·tion·al·ism, nounfac·tion·al·ist, nounin·ter·fac·tion·al, adjectiveun·fac·tion·al, adjective

Can be confused

factional factious fractious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for factionalism

  • Factionalism is a class spirit which will sacrifice the interest of the whole to the interest of the class.

    Ethics in Service|William Howard Taft

  • The sources of this factionalism were varied, and some of them had little to do with the affairs of Virginia.

    The Virginia Company Of London, 1606-1624|Wesley Frank Craven

  • This factionalism contributed largely to the overthrow of the radicals.

    The Sequel of Appomattox|Walter Lynwood Fleming

  • But within five years the order was rent by factionalism and in 1878 was acknowledged to be dead.

    The Armies of Labor|Samuel P. Orth