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

• 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

Given the polarization that has bedeviled society for the past decade, Francis Coppola’s struggle now becomes a parable for all the ways in which a filmmaker’s integrity and inspiration can be hobbled — including the deranged partisanship that hides behind today’s activist-filmmaker impulse. —Armond White, National Review, 4 July 2025

Hassett in April also accused Powell of partisanship when discussing key issues. —Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 30 June 2025

Mere exposure to reports of cyberattacks undermined trust in the electoral process – regardless of partisanship. —Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 June 2025

Such partisanship is not about the consensus foreign policy, stopping Iran from having the bomb, but about who is in the White House. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 June 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