faction

1 of 3

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-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

factionalism

ˈfak-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm 

noun

factionally

ˈfak-sh(ə-)nəl-ē 

adverb

-faction

2 of 3

noun combining form

: making : -fication

petrifaction

factional

3 of 3

adjective

fac·​tion·​al ˈfakshənᵊl 

-shnəl

1

: of or relating to a faction

a factional leader

2

a

: characterized by faction

b

: occurring between factions

factional disputes within the party

factionalism

-ᵊlˌizəm 

-əˌli-

noun

plural -s

factionally

-ᵊl|ē 

-əl|ē, 

|i

adverb

Synonyms of faction

Noun

• party
• side
• wing
• sect
• coalition
• team
• bloc

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

In Iraq, the faction earned rebukes from clerics who had previously supported global jihad as well as from more mainstream religious leaders. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

AfD leaders in Saxony-Anhalt are also courting the more right-wing factions of the mainstream conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) – though Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vehemently ruled out any cooperation. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

The group is a breakaway faction of the SPLM, the ruling party of neighboring South Sudan. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

While there is no suggestion of any kind of confrontation, there were tensions between different factions in the dressing room as Rosenior’s tenure unravelled. — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

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

Adjective

1629, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for faction

• action
• faction
• fraction
• traction
• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• benefaction
• counteraction

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