partisanship

noun

par·​ti·​san·​ship ˈpär-tə-zən-ˌship How to pronounce partisanship (audio)
-sən-,
-ˌzan-,
 chiefly British  ˌpär-tə-ˈzan-
: the quality or state of being partisan : strong and sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause, or person
political partisanship
The Court is so riven by partisanship that justices even pick their law clerks in ways influenced by ideology …Anthony Lewis
The succession of Civil War, Reconstruction and the Gilded Age was marked by bitter partisanship, endemic corruption, appalling violence and a general sense that democracy was failing.Jon Grinspan

Examples of partisanship in a Sentence

partisanship can discourage any serious search for the truth there's a pervasive partisanship in the company that prevents it from acknowledging that other companies are outpacing it with innovative ideas
Recent Examples on the Web American democracy, Bassin learned, had arguably been eroding in a similar manner for years, thanks to gerrymandering, the collapse of local news and rise of for-profit social media, and negative partisanship. Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 8 May 2024 But the club's long tradition is to avoid partisanship. Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 May 2024 Instead, partisanship has kept the delegation from consistently meeting together for decades, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), who heads the state’s Democratic delegation, and her GOP counterpart Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), who have both been in Congress since the 1990s. Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024 Groups Focusing on the two-way Biden-Trump race, results show the pull of partisanship and ideology. Gary Langer, ABC News, 5 May 2024 And with beliefs in Trump's guilt largely falling in line with partisanship, opinions on the indictments appear to be little more than a reflection of how voters feel about Trump at large. Irena Li, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2024 Americans' economic views have become more driven by political partisanship in recent decades. Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024 Extreme partisanship, which took hold long before Trump took control of the GOP, is part of the answer. Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024 The play calls attention to the dangerous reality of right-wing terrorist groups expanding their ranks as once-fringe elements of our society are condoned by irresponsible political leaders, whose partisanship has undermined their fidelity to truth, democracy and the rule of law. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'partisanship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of partisanship was in 1798

Dictionary Entries Near partisanship

Cite this Entry

“Partisanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisanship. Accessed 18 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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