faction

1
[ fak-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: factionfactions on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of faction

1
First recorded in 1500–10; <Latin factiōn- (stem of factiō ) “a doing, company, division,” equivalent to fact(us) “done, made” (see fact) + -iōn- -ion

Other words for faction

Words Nearby faction

Other definitions for faction (2 of 2)

faction2
[ fak-shuhn ]

nounInformal.
  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.

Origin of faction

2
1965–70; blend of fact and fiction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use faction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for faction (1 of 2)

faction1

/ (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

Origin of faction

1
C16: from Latin factiō a making, from facere to make, do

Derived forms of faction

  • factional, adjective
  • factionalism, noun
  • factionalist, noun

British Dictionary definitions for faction (2 of 2)

faction2

/ (ˈfækʃən) /


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

Origin of faction

2
C20: a blend of fact and fiction

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

Cultural definitions for faction

faction

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.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.