internecine
Deadly within groups
Internecine describes conflict that is mutually destructive, especially within a group.
An internecine war or internecine struggle damages all parties involved.
The word often applies to bitter disputes within organizations, families, or political factions: The party was weakened by internecine feuding.
The emphasis falls on the self-destructive nature of internal conflict—fighting that harms the very group engaged in it.
Rivalry within one organization
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
- strifeAngry, prolonged conflict
- discordLack of agreement
- schismFormal organizational fracture
feuding · rivalry · fratricide · animosity · antagonism · contention · hostility · turmoil
Causing one's own failure
- self-sabotageUndermining your own goals
- cannibalizationConsuming one's own kind
- implosionViolent collapse inward
- ruinousCausing severe destruction
suicidal · counterproductive · pyrrhic · fratricidal · zero-sum · death spiral
Domestic armed conflict
- secessionFormal withdrawal from union
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- coupAbrupt seizure of power
mutiny · revolution · partisan · faction · purge · junta · cadre · splinter group
infighting
Rivalry within one organization
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
- strifeAngry, prolonged conflict
- discordLack of agreement
schism · feuding · rivalry · fratricide · animosity · antagonism · contention · hostility · turmoil · bickering
self-defeating
Causing one's own failure
- self-sabotageUndermining your own goals
- cannibalizationConsuming one's own kind
- implosionViolent collapse inward
ruinous · suicidal · counterproductive · pyrrhic · fratricidal · zero-sum · death spiral
civil war
Domestic armed conflict
- secessionFormal withdrawal from union
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- rebellionDefiance of established power
coup · mutiny · revolution · partisan · faction · purge · junta · cadre · splinter group · defection
internecinebloodless
Without shedding any gore
nonviolent · peaceful · harmless · non-lethal · benign
internecineunified
Combined into one
harmonious · united · cooperative · cohesive · collegial