faction

1 of 2

noun

fac·​tion ˈfak-shən 

1

: a party or group (as within a government) that is often contentious or self-seeking : clique

The committee soon split into factions.

2

: party spirit especially when marked by dissension

faction, or the irreconcilable conflict of parties

—Ernest Barker

factional

ˈfak-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

factionalism

ˈfak-shnə-ˌli-zəm 

-shə-nə-ˌliz-

noun

factionally

ˈfak-shnəl-ē 

-shə-nᵊl-ē

adverb

-faction

2 of 2

noun combining form

: making : -fication

petrifaction

Synonyms

Noun

• bloc
• block
• body
• coalition
• party
• sect
• set
• side
• wing

Examples of faction in a Sentence

Noun

The committee soon split into factions.

several factions within the environmental movement have joined forces to save this wilderness area

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the hardline faction of today may not be satisfied with simply lodging protest votes and demanding policy concessions within spending bills. —Tia Yang, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024

Rarely has a political party been more desperately in need of a leader who can calm the waters, unify the feuding factions and charm the money men and women. —Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

Now the country’s historically squabbling opposition is trying to agree on a unity candidate all factions can support. —Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024

The Negev Bedouin are one of the most disadvantaged factions of Israeli society. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024

Genesis is part of the faction Exile along with Ice Cold and Exodus. —Jim Varsallone, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024

The nation is struggling with its identity amidst aggressive encroachment by Western foreign powers, with some factions determined to remain isolationist while others embrace foreign commerce. —PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2024

After coming in contact with a group called the Bureau, Shailene Woodley's Tris and the rest of the group learn that their city and all of the factions have been part of a genetic experiment. —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024

The independent Amazon Labor Union has also struggled internally as different factions have fought over leadership, leading a group of members to file a lawsuit against the union and its leadership in July. —Caroline O'Donovan, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French faccion, borrowed from Latin factiōn-, factiō "act of making, social set, band, group, self-seeking political group," from facere "to make, bring about, place, classify" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at fact

Note: A doublet of faction is fashion entry 1, from the Gallo-Romance outcome of Latin factiō, which maintains only the meaning "act of making," sparsely attested outside of early Latin except in legal use.

Noun combining form

borrowed from Latin -factiōn-, -factiō (as in satisfactiōn-, satisfactiō satisfaction)

First Known Use

Noun

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

faction

noun

fac·​tion ˈfak-shən 

: a group acting together within a larger body (as a government) : clique

factional

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective

factionalism

-ˌiz-əm 

noun