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

This is not about geopolitical alliances or partisanship. —Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

The share saying partisanship frequently plays a role in the court’s decisions decreased 9 points since 2024 (from 42% to 33%) and that downward shift is seen across all demographics. —Victoria Balara, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2025

Despite the private sector support, however, several legislative issues and obstacles remain in place that will continue to stymie further adoption and utilization is lawmakers allow partisanship and sound-bite-sized debates to dominate conversations. —Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

But Ossoff says partisanship is motivating many Georgia Republicans to turn their backs on the state’s economic interests. —Glen Luke Flanagan, Fortune, 30 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