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

Like many of the other findings, the poll found public perception of an acetaminophen link to autism is closely tied to partisanship. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 9 Oct. 2025

Also, Americans report less trust in institutions and experts, and studies have found growing partisanship around vaccines. —David Higgins, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025

George Washington warned that the primary danger in politics is partisanship. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025

Trump takes shutdown politics to new levels of pain and partisanship. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 2 Oct. 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