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

But DeSantis’ argument about race is also the lynchpin in a much larger legal theory his office developed to justify taking partisanship into account to develop the new maps. —Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026

Trump, meanwhile, relishes partisanship and uses it to his advantage. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026

In May 1935, the rival news organizations formed AAP as a non-profit cooperative to supply their clients with accurate coverage of international events, ostensibly free from political partisanship or bias. —Kevin Patrick, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026

His implication, perhaps subconscious, is that occasional flashes of partisanship are a form of self-defense. —Peter S. Canellos, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 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