faction

UK: /ˈfækʃ^ən/ US: /ˈfækʃən/ ,(fak′shən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fac•tion /ˈfækʃən/   n. 

1. a group within a larger group:
   [countable] several factions of the Liberal Party.
2. [uncountable] party strife and intrigue;
   discord;
   dissension.

fac•tion•al, adj. 
fac•tion•al•ism, n. [uncountable] See -fac-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fac•tion¹  (fak′shən), n. 

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.

• Latin factiōn- (stem of factiō) a doing, company, equivalent. to fact(us) done (see fact) + -iōn- -ion
• 1500–10

Synonyms

• 2. discord, disagreement, schism, split, friction.

fac•tion²  (fak′shən), n. [Informal.]

1. Informal Terms 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. Informal Terms a novel, film, play, or other presentation in this form.

• blend of, blended fact and fiction 1965–70

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

faction / 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

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin factiō a making, from facere to make, do

ˈfactional adjective

faction / ˈfækʃən/ noun

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

Etymology: 20th Century: a blend of fact and fiction