infighting
B2Formal, journalistic, business
Definition
Meaning
Hidden conflict, disagreement, or competition for power among members of the same group or organization.
Often protracted and disruptive internal conflict that weakens the group's overall effectiveness or unity; can refer to political factions, corporate rivalries, or family disputes.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Typically an uncountable noun. Connotes pettiness, secrecy, and destructiveness. Often implies a struggle for dominance that distracts from external goals.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or spelling. Usage patterns are identical.
Connotations
Identical connotations of internal discord and inefficiency.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in American political and business journalism, but common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
infighting + within + [GROUP] (e.g., infighting within the party)infighting + among + [PLURAL GROUP] (e.g., infighting among directors)infighting + over + [ISSUE] (e.g., infighting over strategy)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A house divided against itself cannot stand. (conceptually related)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to destructive rivalry between departments or executives, e.g., 'The CEO resigned due to relentless boardroom infighting.'
Academic
Used in political science, sociology, and organizational theory to analyze group dynamics and failure.
Everyday
Can describe arguments within a family, sports team, or local committee, e.g., 'The team lost because of all the infighting.'
Technical
In conflict studies, a specific subtype of intra-group conflict characterized by covert tactics and focus on internal power.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The faction is known to infight relentlessly. (rare, derived)
American English
- They spent more time infighting than working on the project. (rare, derived)
adjective
British English
- The infighting faction refused to compromise. (attributive use of noun)
American English
- Infighting members leaked the documents. (attributive use of noun)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The children were infighting over the toy.
- There is no infighting in our friendly class.
- The infighting in the local club caused several members to leave.
- Political infighting often makes the news.
- The company's recent struggles are largely due to internal infighting among senior managers.
- A period of bitter infighting weakened the party before the election.
- The board's incessant infighting over succession planning has paralyzed strategic decision-making.
- Anthropological studies often examine the evolutionary costs and benefits of infighting within social species.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'fighting' that happens 'in' side a group. It's INternal FIGHTING.
Conceptual Metaphor
POLITICS / ORGANIZATIONS ARE A FAMILY (with sibling rivalry) or A BATTLEFIELD (with internal fronts).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'инфайтинг'. Use 'внутренние разборки', 'межфабричная борьба', 'внутрипартийная борьба', depending on context. The word implies a negative, hidden struggle, not open debate ('дискуссия').
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a countable noun (*an infighting). Correct: 'There was infighting.' / 'These infightings' is incorrect.
- Confusing with 'feuding', which can be between families/groups, not necessarily within one single group.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'infighting' LEAST likely to be used appropriately?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 'Fighting' is a general term for physical or verbal conflict. 'Infighting' is specifically hidden or internal conflict within a single group.
Rarely. It almost always has a negative connotation, implying waste of energy and damage to the group. Sometimes it's described as 'healthy debate' if not severe, but that is not typically called infighting.
It is very rare and non-standard. The noun 'infighting' is used, or phrases like 'engage in infighting' are preferred.
'Rivalry' can be between any competitors (e.g., two companies). 'Infighting' is rivalry or conflict within a single, supposedly cohesive unit (e.g., within one company).