adjective
internecine
in-ter-NEE-sin/ˌɪntərˈniːsn/
Involving destructive conflict within or between groups.
The teammates' internecine fight leaves their shared trophy shattered.
Etymology
With necare, “kill,” Latin inter- is said to have been merely intensive, giving “very deadly.” English reinterpreted it as mutual destruction, producing the sense of destructive conflict among members of one group.
More examples
- Internecine struggles over leadership threaten to tear the party apart.
- The rival clans lose generations to internecine warfare.
- Internecine feuds among executives damage the entire company.
Similar words
- fratricidal
- Emphasizes conflict between people with close ties or shared identity.
- destructive
- Describes serious damage without necessarily involving conflict between groups.