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

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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

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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
  • Because this was a scoping review, which summarizes existing research rather than testing a treatment directly, the researchers could not make clinical recommendations or fully assess the risk of bias.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Although much of his lineup leaned heavy-handed or overly undone, the most notable bias looks were the ones designed for ease, modernity and lightness.
    — Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bias
Noun
  • For example, O’Donnell has staunchly defended Israel and condemned bigotry.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The nod to purity emphasized the paint brand’s relationship to cleanliness and virtue, and possibly other notions of bigotry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of bigotry
Noun
  • The permit application from J7 Ready Mix was denied with prejudice during a hearing in Austin.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
  • All the prejudices my characters are designed to expose haven’t just lingered—they’ve metastasized.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 21 Oct. 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
  • Meta insisted its recent operational incidents come from technical limitations rather than any partiality.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Stanton’s confession ends up being incomprehensible to anyone but himself—an irony that McCarthy, with his partiality for secret codes, seems to take great pleasure in.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 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

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Cite this Entry

“Partisanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisanship. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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