Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

faction

1 American  
[fak-shuhn] / ˈfæk ʃən /

noun

  1. a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization, or the like, typically having different opinions and interests than the larger group.

    a faction in favor of big business; rival factions within the company.

  2. party strife and intrigue; dissension.

    an era of faction and treason.
    Synonyms:
    friction, split, schism, disagreement, discord
faction 2 American  
[fak-shuhn] / ˈfæk ʃən /

noun

Informal.

  1. a form of writing or filmmaking that treats real people or events as if they were fictional or uses them as an integral part of a fictional account.

  2. a novel, film, play, or other presentation in this form.

faction 1 British  
/ ˈfækʃən /

noun

  1. a group of people forming a minority within a larger body, esp a dissentious group

  2. strife or dissension within a group

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
faction 2 British  
/ ˈfækʃən /

noun

  1. a television programme, film, or literary work comprising a dramatized presentation of actual events

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
faction Cultural  

  1. A group formed to seek some goal within a political party or a government. The term suggests quarrelsome dissent from the course pursued by the party or government majority: “His administration is moderate, but it contains a faction of extremists.”

Other Word Forms

  • factional adjective
  • factionalism noun
  • factionalist noun

Etymology

Origin of faction1

First recorded in 1500–10; < Latin factiōn- (stem of factiō ) “a doing, company, division,” equivalent to fact(us) “done, made” ( fact ) + -iōn- -ion

Origin of faction2

1965–70; blend of fact and fiction

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An alliance forming between monarchist and progressive factions is set to put even more pressure on the government.

From The Wall Street Journal

Though each of Iran’s scattered factions wanted something different, they began to unite in their desire to get rid of him.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ascribing it mainly to one faction risks exacerbating the problem.

From The Wall Street Journal

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region has long been a haven for Kurdish Iranian armed factions, which have repeatedly faced cross-border strikes from Iran.

From Barron's

Armed violence between the factions in the historical period “Bleeding Kansas” continued from 1854 until the start of the Civil War in 1861.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.