Dictionary.com

faction

1
[ fak-shuhn ]
/ ˈfæk ʃən /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: faction / factions on Thesaurus.com

noun
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.
party strife and intrigue; dissension: an era of faction and treason.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

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 definitions for faction (2 of 2)

faction2
[ fak-shuhn ]
/ ˈfæk ʃən /

noun Informal.
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.
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. 2023

How to use faction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for faction (1 of 2)

faction1
/ (ˈfækʃən) /

noun
a group of people forming a minority within a larger body, esp a dissentious group
strife or dissension within a group

Derived forms of faction

factional, adjectivefactionalism, nounfactionalist, noun

Word Origin for faction

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

British Dictionary definitions for faction (2 of 2)

faction2
/ (ˈfækʃən) /

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

Word Origin for faction

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.
FEEDBACK