partisanship

noun

par·​ti·​san·​ship ˈpär-tə-zən-ˌship 

-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

Synonyms of partisanship

• bias
• prejudice
• tendentiousness
• partiality

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

In addition to speaking about her late husband’s new book, Kirk is expected to address the topic of gun violence and political partisanship. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2025

First, federal courts don’t police partisanship. —Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

Up north, a city like Gary, long plagued by blight, crime and economic disinvestment, doesn't have time for partisanship. —Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 25 Nov. 2025

Most of those ingredients existed in the 1980s and 1990s, Eichengreen said, but have collapsed in the 2000s as partisanship has surged. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for partisanship

• apostleship
• apprenticeship
• assistantship
• championship
• chancellorship
• citizenship
• companionship
• copartnership
• dictatorship
• directorship
• discipleship
• editorship