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 political turmoil has already sent government borrowing costs to multi-decade highs, and UK business leaders complained that the Labour Party infighting would further damage investment. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 15 May 2026

Over the years, different iterations of the subway project have been blocked by political infighting and local opposition from some neighborhoods. —Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026

Republican infighting was on full display as Johnson struggled to cobble together the votes needed to advance a farm bill, extend a critical government spying program, and end the record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 May 2026

Quite a bit of infighting is indeed happening within the Iranian regime. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 1 May 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