infighting

noun

in·​fight·​ing ˈin-ˌfī-tiŋ 

1

: prolonged and often bitter dissension or rivalry among members of a group or organization

bureaucratic infighting

2

: rough-and-tumble fighting

3

: fighting or boxing at close quarters

infight

ˈin-ˌfīt 

intransitive verb

infighter

ˈin-ˌfī-tər 

noun

Synonyms of infighting

• discord
• strife
• friction
• conflict
• discordance
• war
• schism
• warfare
• discordancy
• dissent
• division

Examples of infighting in a Sentence

continued infighting has just completely robbed that political action committee of its effectiveness

Recent Examples on the Web

The organization is calling on local school leadership to focus less on board infighting and more on students. — Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

With such scrupulousness, Parton’s estate seemed primed to avoid the kind of posthumous infighting and chaos that so often consumes these institutions. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026

The coalition that Prince Mohammed first put together to fight the Houthis in 2015 largely fell apart years ago because of infighting and factionalism. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026

But during both meetings, including a retreat last month, directors shied away from directly addressing their infighting. — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for infighting

• alighting
• backbiting
• bullfighting
• daylighting
• delighting
• exciting
• firefighting
• handwriting
• highlighting
• igniting
• inciting
• indicting