partisanship

noun

ˈpär-tə-zən-ˌship How to pronounce partisanship (audio)
Definition of partisanshipnext
1
as in bias
an attitude that always favors one way of feeling or acting especially without considering any other possibilities partisanship can discourage any serious search for the truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bigotry
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices there's a pervasive partisanship in the company that prevents it from acknowledging that other companies are outpacing it with innovative ideas

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 partisanship More Democratic voters fled partisanship altogether over the past two years than Republicans, data show. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026 The movie is about Facebook’s role and the rise of divisiveness, extremism, and hyper-partisanship in the country. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026 This suggests that declining faith goes beyond partisanship and reflects a more fundamental question about this group’s sense of belonging. — Diana Orcés, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026 The partisanship changes will still wait until two years from now, but in November, voters throughout the county will be able to select candidates. — Idaho Statesman, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for partisanship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisanship
  1. bias
  2. bigotry
  3. prejudice
  4. dogmatism
  5. partiality
  6. intolerance
  7. sectarianism
  8. illiberalism
Noun
  • The defense trial accounts of bias were connected to Weeks’ rulings, which were within his discretion and not a basis for recusal, prosecutors argued.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Encourage Small Bets Without Fear Of Failure Set the intention and back it with a bias toward action.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of bias
Noun
  • For the moment, Trump’s vicious bigotry has alienated most independent voters and even some Republicans.
    — David Yassky, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Anti-white bigotry has become accepted and, at times, rewarded in public discourse.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of bigotry
Noun
  • The new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity will teach the next generation how to continue to fight back against antisemitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry.
    — Linda Chapin, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Gleason dismissed the case without prejudice, denied permission to amend again, and rejected the discovery request as moot.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of prejudice
Noun
  • When authenticity becomes uncompromising, candor turns belligerent, consistency becomes rigid, or principled decision-making morphs into dogmatism, even the best intentions can backfire.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • By staying so close to black metal’s core sound, Marchenko does more to undermine the dogmatism—both racial and aesthetic—of Vikernes and his ilk than a more obviously experimental project might.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of dogmatism
Noun
  • Protesters outside the museum on October 8 expressed frustration at the university’s underfunding of the arts and partiality to sports, noting that DePaul broke ground on a new $42 million sports complex just weeks earlier.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Meta insisted its recent operational incidents come from technical limitations rather than any partiality.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of partiality
Noun
  • In a study published in 2019, Kendall and his colleagues showed that the more a child’s uncertainty intolerance was reduced by treatment, the more their anxiety fell and their ability to function improved.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Histamine intolerance is when histamine from food overwhelms the body’s ability to break it down, Hwang explained.
    — Lauren Finney Harden, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of intolerance
Noun
  • The pullout, however, leaves a new Iraqi government with the daunting task of loosening Iran’s grip on its neighbor, which has long been trapped in a cycle of sectarianism, foreign meddling and civil conflict.
    — Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of sectarianism
Noun
  • Resorting to violence merely strengthens the forces of illiberalism and sense of disorder upon which Trumpism feeds.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The signal predicament of our era is the global rise of illiberalism and intolerance.
    — Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of illiberalism

Browse Nearby Words

partisans
partisanship
partition
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Partisanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisanship. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All