splinter

/ˈsplɪntər/
noun
  1. A small, thin, sharp piece of wood, glass, or other material that has broken off from a larger piece.
    • I got a splinter in my finger while building the bookshelf.
    • She carefully removed the glass splinter from her foot with tweezers.
    • The old wooden floor had a splinter sticking up that caught my sock.
  2. A small group of people that has broken away from a larger organization, especially a political or religious group.
    • The committee was worried that a splinter would weaken their voting power.
    • A splinter of the party formed its own movement after the disagreement.
    • The religious splinter met in a small hall away from the main church.
Antonyms
verb
  1. To break or cause to break into small, sharp pieces.
    • The dry wood splintered when I tried to hammer the nail in.
    • Be careful not to splinter the board when you saw it.
    • The impact of the rock caused the window to splinter into a hundred pieces.
  2. To break away from a larger group or organization, forming a smaller separate group.
    • The union threatened to splinter if the leadership didn't listen to their demands.
    • Over time, the movement began to splinter into different factions.
    • Several members decided to splinter from the main political party.
Antonyms