faction

1 of 3

noun

fac·​tion ˈfak-shən How to pronounce faction (audio)
Synonyms of faction
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 How to pronounce faction (audio)
adjective
factionalism
ˈfak-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce faction (audio)
noun
factionally
ˈfak-sh(ə-)nəl-ē How to pronounce faction (audio)
adverb

-faction

2 of 3

noun combining form

: making : -fication
petrifaction

factional

3 of 3

adjective

fac·​tion·​al ˈfakshənᵊl How to pronounce factional (audio)
-shnəl
1
: of or relating to a faction
a factional leader
2
a
: characterized by faction
b
: occurring between factions
factional disputes within the party
factionalism
-ᵊlˌizəm How to pronounce factional (audio)
-əˌli-
noun
plural -s
factionally
-ᵊl|ē How to pronounce factional (audio)
-əl|ē, 
|i
adverb

Synonyms of faction

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Rodriguez’s exit led party leaders to nudge Crowley back into the race in a bid to consolidate centrist Democratic support and defeat the party’s left-wing faction. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2026 The weaker Democratic faction believes the party moved too far to the left then and must convincingly recant to win back votes; the stronger faction believes this argument is a distraction whipped up by Republicans. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The two frontrunners in the Democratic primary are now Hong and Crowley, who has since gotten Evers' backing, setting up a battle between the party's moderate and progressive factions. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Her faction is the Black Council; her rivals include her half brothers Aegon II Targaryen, supported by the Green Council, and Aemond (One-Eye) Targaryen, whose other eye was a casualty of a childhood family squabble. — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for faction

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

Adjective

1629, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of faction was in 1509

Rhymes for faction

See All Rhymes for faction

Browse Nearby Words

fact in issue
faction
-faction
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Faction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faction. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

faction

noun
fac·​tion ˈfak-shən How to pronounce faction (audio)
: a group acting together within a larger body (as a government) : clique
factional
-shnəl How to pronounce faction (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective
factionalism
-ˌiz-əm How to pronounce faction (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on faction

Nglish: Translation of faction for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about faction

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All