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

There are signs, too, of infighting within the administration. —Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2026

Just as those revolutionary murals have sun-bleached and blistered, so the heady jubilation of the students’ victory has become tarnished by infighting and division. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026

His surprise rebuke of the bill sparked infighting between him and a number of other crypto leaders, who backed the bill. —Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026

But, after, many of the groups created to put it on fell into factional infighting or drifted apart. —Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 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