faction1

[fak-shuh n] /ˈfæk ʃən/
noun
1.
a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization, or the like:
a faction in favor of big business.
2.
party strife and intrigue; dissension:
an era of faction and treason.
Origin
1500-10; < Latin factiōn- (stem of factiō) a doing, company, equivalent to fact(us) done (see fact) + -iōn- -ion
Synonyms
2. discord, disagreement, schism, split, friction.

faction2

[fak-shuh n] /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.
Origin
1965-70; blend of fact and fiction
Examples from the web for faction
  • Give them the straight story on the power blocs in your department without trying to recruit them to your faction.
  • Someone tries to enlist you in a faction by e-mail: non-response.
  • There's usually a faction that distrusts the government and its motives.
  • Told in detail, their political history is but the unraveling of a tangle of faction fights and intrigues.
  • While her ordination was undoubtedly contentious, there was no credible threat of a major faction splitting away.
  • They succeed at times in allying themselves with a faction in the board, and a reign of terror follows their enthronement.
  • Imagine, people in one faction claiming to be smarter than people in a different faction.
  • One faction won't even allow the fire trucks out of the garage unless everyone agrees to cut water use.
  • The government-was-behind-9/11 faction appears to be gaining ground.
  • The first was an unrivalled network of political donors, on which he built a faction whose clout remains unmatched.
British Dictionary definitions for faction

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
Derived Forms
factional, adjective
factionalism, noun
factionalist, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Latin factiō a making, from facere to make, do

faction2

/ˈfækʃən/
noun
1.
a television programme, film, or literary work comprising a dramatized presentation of actual events
Word Origin
C20: a blend of fact and fiction
Word Origin and History for faction
n.

c.1500, from Middle French faction (14c.) and directly from Latin factionem (nominative factio) "political party, class of persons," literally "a making or doing," from past participle stem of facere "to do" (see factitious). In ancient Rome, "one of the companies of contractors for the chariot races in the circus."

faction in Culture

faction definition


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.”