partisans

variants also partizans
plural of partisan
1
2
3
as in sectarians
one who stubbornly or intolerantly adheres to his or her own opinions and prejudices she's too much of a political partisan to ever concede that the other side might have a valid point

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of partisans Eventually, Sinclair partisans took matters into their own hands by heckling the fake newsreels and disrupting screenings. — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026 Harald paid tribute to the Norwegian partisans who had fought alongside the Soviets during World War II, helping to restore the memory of a segment of the population that had long been marginalized in the official narrative of the war. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 This week’s Pollwatcher answers a reader’s question about how polls select respondents and highlights how partisans in one state have flipped on a Democratic senator. — Scott Clement, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026 As a result, partisans of the political left and right routinely use allegations of plagiarism to vilify their ideological adversaries. — Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026 Such traits help elevate interactions with the natural world – and might do the same among neighbors, colleagues, and even political partisans. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026 Exhibited for the first time outside of Sarajevo, the churning Socialist Realist homage invokes Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People in figuring partisans heroically overcoming their would-be Nazi aggressors. — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 10 July 2026 Reynolds tracks the willingness of northern partisans—Carl Schurz, Horace Greeley, Lyman Trumbull, and even Sumner himself—to abandon that cause by the dwindling references to Jamestown and Plymouth. — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Meanwhile, partisans continued to spar over dozens of Republican bills that would allow voters to lower property taxes for homeowners by raising sales taxes on everyone. — David Wickert, AJC.com, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisans
Noun
  • When brutal rationalism is challenged, especially by traditionalists, its defenders will often justify themselves by pointing to the intelligence of its adherents.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Its adherents believe that the relentless pursuit of maximizing individual freedom and rights has come at the cost of community, religion, and traditional norms.
    — Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Pakistan routinely accuses Kabul of allowing militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, to operate from Afghan territory and launch attacks across the border.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The 1972 Summer Games in Munich were overshadowed when 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian militants.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Slow Horses fanatics will recognize her as one of the veteran MI5 operatives stuck in the agency’s version of purgatory, known as Slough House.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Nineteen fanatics, acting in the name of Islam, killed 2,997 innocent men, women and children in New York City, in Washington, and on airplanes turned into weapons of mass murder.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Unlike Sao Paulo, Rio has a more touristic atmosphere that has drawn a new batch of football followers from South America.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Glover brings to the Hollywood talent agency a social media presence that includes around 532,000 Instagram followers and another 250,000-plus on the X platform.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • As talks between the two sides continue — with the expectation that the situation could come to a head as soon as Sunday night — antimerger activists are planning a series of rallies in Oakland, Los Angeles and New York.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Jentleson heaps blame on Democratic professionals and activists for frittering away the Obama coalition that scored three hundred and sixty-five electoral votes in 2008 and managed sixty Senate seats the next year.
    — Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Of course, one point made in the song is that nearly every American has immigrants in the family tree, however much some nationalists may like to imagine a United States that began with certain demographics in place.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Scottish nationalists believe support for independence is rising Scotland tried unsuccessfully to break away in 2014, with voters rejecting a referendum 55% to 45%.
    — Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Earlier that evening during his last supper with his disciples, we are told Jesus himself had fervently prayed.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The show lures corporate sponsors to the marketing mecca, where brands hope to convert experience seekers into true believers, eventually disciples.
    — Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The book is full of stories of villains, like the venomous heroin that took so many of Seattle’s crusaders as well as the music industry that never quite understood where Soundgarden belonged.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 9 June 2026
  • The facility remains popular among anti-immigrant crusaders, and Attorney General Uthmeier’s campaign store sells Alligator Alcatraz bumper stickers, T-shirts, and caps.
    — Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Partisans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisans. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!