faction

1 of 2

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 2

noun combining form

: making : -fication

petrifaction

Synonyms

Noun

• bloc
• block
• body
• coalition
• party
• sect
• set
• side
• wing

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

The now-dominant faction in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al Sham, an outgrowth of al Qaeda, has pledged tolerance of all minorities. —Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Dec. 2024

Still, the Islamist group has never ruled over a large territory with diverse religious and ethnic minorities, numerous armed rebel factions, and scarce resources. —Mostafa Salem, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024

There are also numerous other factions within the country that Israel could view as a potential threat, including remnants of Islamic State, potentially rejuvenated by the departure of Assad. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

But the fact that the strongest anti-Assad faction is a former Al-Qaida affiliate headed by a man who still has a $10 million FBI bounty on his head doesn’t escape anybody’s notice. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2024

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

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