factionalism

American  

[fak-shuh-nl-iz-uhm] / ˈfæk ʃə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. a condition in which a group, organization, government, etc., is split into two or more smaller groups with differing and often opposing opinions or interests.

   Because of factionalism within the student community, only one-third of the students are officially striking.

   His term as director would prove difficult on occasion, primarily because of the factionalism and the poisonous relationships among some of the members.

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Etymology

Origin of factionalism

factional ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

Irish playwright Seamus Heaney adapted this play in 1990 as “The Cure at Troy,” finding in it an image of his country’s religious factionalism and the possibility of peace.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

And though it’s much easier now to find books and other media taking a range of perspectives on menopause, it’s also easy to be waylaid by influencers, charlatans and factionalism.

From Salon • Sep. 22, 2025

Vatican watchers noted Francis’ determination to sweep clean institutions that had become rife with dysfunction, factionalism and accusations of corruption.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025

These excised lines from the Farewell Address serve not only as a warning but as a prescient prophecy of the political turmoil and factionalism that would later shape the nation’s history.

From Slate • Feb. 17, 2025

The Inka, he wrote in his 1963 article, were not defeated by steel and horses but by disease and factionalism.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• animosity
• antagonism
• bad blood
• bickering
• conflict
• discontent
• discord
• disharmony
• dispute
• dissension
• hassle
• hatred
• hostility
• quarrel
• resentment
• resistance
• rivalry
• strife
• trouble
• wrangling