faction
- 01 C1 Advanced
a small group of people within a larger organization, like a political party, who disagree with the main group.
a cohesive subgroup within a larger organization, typically characterized by dissent or a specific shared agenda that differs from the majority.
Simple“A small faction within the party voted against the new law.”
In context“The ruling party was paralyzed by internal factions, each competing for influence over the upcoming budget negotiations.”
UsageOften used with 'within' to describe the relationship to the parent organization.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
a type of book or film that mixes real events and people with fictional stories.
a literary or cinematic genre that treats real people or historical events using the techniques of fiction.
Simple“The movie is a work of faction, combining historical records with imagined conversations.”
In context“Critics debated whether the author's use of faction successfully humanized the historical figures or merely distorted the public's understanding of the actual events.”
UsageA portmanteau of 'fact' and 'fiction', used primarily in academic or critical contexts.
Synonymsdocudramanon fiction novel - 03 C2 Proficiency
fighting or disagreement between different groups within a larger one.
state of conflict, discord, or dissension within a group or state.
Simple“The country was torn apart by years of religious faction.”
In context“The historian argued that the empire did not fall to external enemies but was eroded from within by centuries of bitter faction and greed.”
Synonyms
“The Taliban are split, with deep disagreements on the ban on women’s education among other issues, but remain dominated by the most conservative factions.”
“Each scenario asks players to pick one action from three choices on the screen, with each potentially upsetting or pleasing the different factions.”
Borrowed from Middle French faction, from Latin factiō (“a group of people acting together, a political faction”), noun of process from perfect passive participle factus, from faciō (“do, make”). Doublet of fashion.
Blend of fact + fiction.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.