faction

1 of 2

noun

fac·​tion ˈfak-shən How to pronounce faction (audio)
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 partiesErnest Barker
factional
ˈfak-shnəl How to pronounce faction (audio)
-shə-nᵊl
adjective
factionalism
ˈfak-shnə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce faction (audio)
-shə-nə-ˌliz-
noun
factionally
ˈfak-shnəl-ē How to pronounce faction (audio)
-shə-nᵊl-ē
adverb

-faction

2 of 2

noun combining form

: making : -fication
petrifaction

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
As the market consolidates, two to three large factions will emerge, and companies ranging from big tech to startups will position themselves to be the heart of those systems. John Kell, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 But in practice, analysts say Putin presides over something akin to a court system, in which the president is the ultimate arbiter of disputes between competing elite factions. Nathan Hodge, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Gangs of New York (2002) Scorsese’s first project with Leonardo DiCaprio came in this unwieldy historical crime epic, which chronicles the violent conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions in 1860s Manhattan. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 In the 5th Congressional District, where there is a legitimacy dispute between two competing Hillsdale County GOP leadership factions, delegates quickly OK'd a pact under which one faction was able to seat seven delegates at Grand Rapids and the other was able to seat six. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024 The talks between representatives of Hamas and the Fatah political faction, scheduled to take place in the Russian capital tomorrow, come days after Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned. NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 Split with them to create a rival Eastside political faction. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Different factions took different lessons with them from The Builder War. Rob Wieland, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The result has been a commission divided by two dueling political factions, with Lago and Anderson on one side, and Castro and Fernandez on the other. Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of faction was in 1509

Dictionary Entries Near faction

Cite this Entry

“Faction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faction. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

faction

noun
fac·​tion ˈfak-shən How to pronounce faction (audio)
: a group acting together within a larger body (as a government) : clique
factional
-shnəl How to pronounce faction (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective
factionalism noun

More from Merriam-Webster on faction

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