faction
1 of 2noun
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
Ernest Barker factional
ˈfak-shnəl
adjective -shə-nᵊl
factionalism
ˈfak-shnə-ˌli-zəm
noun -shə-nə-ˌliz-
factionally
ˈfak-shnəl-ē
adverb -shə-nᵊl-ē
-faction
2 of 2noun combining form
: making : -fication
petrifaction
Synonyms
Noun
- bloc
- block
- body
- coalition
- party
- sect
- set
- side
- wing
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 The suggestion that political opponents were capitalizing on the scandal to bring down the president was irrelevant, said Tony Yengeni, a top A.N.C. official who is part of an anti-Ramaphosa faction. New York Times, 10 June 2022 But one of America’s two big parties is now a quintessential example of an ethnic faction. Barbara F. Walter, The New Republic, 14 Apr. 2022 In the meantime, supporters like TuAnon provide the positive angle in it all, even if some find the faction to be irrational with its unwavering praise. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 The splits both within and between both political parties are stark, and each faction within the larger American foreign policy debate has struggled to navigate a tricky landscape. Blaise Malley, The New Republic, 26 Apr. 2022 On one side is the Kandahar faction, named for the southern city where the late Mullah Mohammed Omar founded the Taliban. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 The tea party element McCarthy coopted has now evolved into a powerful and contrary faction within his conference. Michael Warren And Melanie Zanona, CNN, 21 Jan. 2022 The insurgent group formed after a faction within the Taliban splintered and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – in October 2014. Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 31 Aug. 2020 See More
Noun
Dimitri Diliani, a senior member of Abbas’s Fatah party who supports an anti-Abbas faction, said the request for financial aid probably came from Israel, which sees Palestinian economic stability as part of its counterterrorism strategy. Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 The suggestion that political opponents were capitalizing on the scandal to bring down the president was irrelevant, said Tony Yengeni, a top A.N.C. official who is part of an anti-Ramaphosa faction. New York Times, 10 June 2022 But one of America’s two big parties is now a quintessential example of an ethnic faction. Barbara F. Walter, The New Republic, 14 Apr. 2022 In the meantime, supporters like TuAnon provide the positive angle in it all, even if some find the faction to be irrational with its unwavering praise. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 The splits both within and between both political parties are stark, and each faction within the larger American foreign policy debate has struggled to navigate a tricky landscape. Blaise Malley, The New Republic, 26 Apr. 2022 On one side is the Kandahar faction, named for the southern city where the late Mullah Mohammed Omar founded the Taliban. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 The tea party element McCarthy coopted has now evolved into a powerful and contrary faction within his conference. Michael Warren And Melanie Zanona, CNN, 21 Jan. 2022 The insurgent group formed after a faction within the Taliban splintered and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – in October 2014. Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 31 Aug. 2020 See More 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
factions
noun
as in sects
a group of people acting together within a larger group several factions within the environmental movement have joined forces to save this wilderness area Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sects
- sides
- parties
- coalitions
- wings
- blocs
- teams
- denominations
- movements
- bodies
- gangs
- sets
- blocks
- splinters
- persuasions
- schisms
- splits
- crews
- caucuses
- packs
- scissions