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

Will the American people have faith any longer that any investigation can be independent and free of partisanship? —ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026

Until the 1960s, the media profited from patriotism; today, partisanship is profitable. —Gil Troy, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026

The political climate that the film examines, one of extreme partisanship, has only heightened in the years since. —Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026

Graves said redistricting in his home state, nor the breakdown in decorum and hyper-partisanship of Congress, factored into his decision to retire. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026

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