internecine

adjective

in·ter·ne·cine ˌin-tər-ˈne-ˌsēn

-ˈnē-sᵊn,

-ˈnē-ˌsīn,

-nə-ˈsēn;

in-ˈtər-nə-ˌsēn

Synonyms of internecine next

: of, relating to, or involving conflict within a group

bitter internecine feuds

: marked by slaughter : deadly

especially : mutually destructive

Did you know?

Internecine comes from the Latin internecinus ("fought to the death" or "destructive"), which traces to the verb "necare" ("to kill") and the prefix inter-. ("Inter-" usually means "between" or "mutual" in Latin, but it can also indicate the completion of an action.) Internecine meant "deadly" when it appeared in English in the early 17th century, but when Samuel Johnson entered it in his dictionary almost a century later, he was apparently misled by "inter-" and defined the word as "endeavouring mutual destruction." Johnson's definition was carried into later dictionaries, and before long his sense was the dominant meaning of the word. "Internecine" developed the association with internal group conflict in the 20th century, and that's the most common sense today.

Examples of internecine in a Sentence

a political party that has suffered because of bitter internecine rivalries

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The internecine hostility also played out in media interviews given by both, becoming one of the trademark traits of Eminem's public profile during the early years of his career. —

Brian McCollum, USA TODAY, 4 Dec. 2024 The internecine hostility also played out in media interviews given by both, becoming one of the trademark traits of Eminem’s public profile during the early years of his career. —

Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 3 Dec. 2024 Meanwhile, TikTok is dealing with some internecine battles over how much political content to allow. —

Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 That intensifies the internecine struggle among Republicans over what to include in the package and how to contain the cost. —

Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for internecine