as in partial
inclined to favor one side over another
a shamelessly partisan reporter covering the primary campaign
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also partizan
1
as in adherent
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another
partisans of the charismatic leader refuse to tolerate any criticism of him at all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crusader
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
a partisan of the revolution who was even willing to give her life for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sectarian
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of partisan
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
What drew particular ire in the budget decision, and gave way to partisan finger-pointing, was the decision not to fund the Veterans Housing and Recovery Program, leading to the shuttering of two of three housing facilities for homeless veterans in Chippewa Falls and Green Bay.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 23 Aug. 2025
The bottom line: partisans may spin the price of gasoline, but the true story lies in the global interplay of supply, demand, and investment.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Adjective
As unanswered questions about his motives remain, a partisan divide has grown in the country, most recently resulting in the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
What drew particular ire in the budget decision, and gave way to partisan finger-pointing, was the decision not to fund the Veterans Housing and Recovery Program, leading to the shuttering of two of three housing facilities for homeless veterans in Chippewa Falls and Green Bay.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
Republicans, meanwhile, have characterized Duggan as a kind of Democratic wolf in an independent sheep's clothing who may have abandoned his party label but is a partisan at heart.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 23 Aug. 2025
The bottom line: partisans may spin the price of gasoline, but the true story lies in the global interplay of supply, demand, and investment.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisan
Adjective
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The department has requested copies of voter rolls, often with nonpublic information like partial Social Security numbers, from dozens of states.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Quality testing lab to come The project opened with partial demolition of structures in 2022.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But together a picture emerges of a long-standing movement eager to stop anyone who attacks a principle or personality its adherents hold dear.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
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Certainly the idea that having a bunch of wealth will prevent you from getting into heaven has been conveniently ignored by many adherents.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The white man in question is the show’s protagonist, Lee Raybon, an anticorruption crusader investigating a powerful family in his home city of Tulsa, Okla.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
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But Lee is the kind of crusader who inspires more bemusement than admiration from those around him.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Iraqi prime minister at the time, Nuri al-Maliki, was a Shiite sectarian with close ties to Iran, and many of his fellow Shia thought he could be relied on to listen to Iran’s wishes and find a way to avoid clashing with an Iranian proxy militia.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Both sides insist the other initiated the initial volley of gunfire that killed four agents and six sectarians.—
Joshua Alston,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2023
Adjective
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Students from the kingdom are increasingly turning away from US universities in particular, put off by a mix of hostile immigration policies, concerns over gun violence, and the kingdom’s own push to grow its domestic education sector.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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The move to social media and algorithmic media was really a move toward a style of political communication that is somewhat hostile to the liberal project and the deliberative, open-minded, thoughtful, on-the-one-hand-on-the-other-hand mode of discourse that Obama is good at.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Another client of Meinadier’s is Zach Lugo, a skateboarder with 10 million TikTok followers who gained followers for his comedic content.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
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Lee, one of the few female religious leaders of the 18th century, and her followers were known for worshipping through ecstatic song and movement.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But Israeli critics say the accords instead set the stage for a surge in violence by Palestinian militants.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Still, Nevo's mind often drifts to the moment in Gaza when Palestinian militants detonated explosives in a home, wounding him and killing two close friends in his army unit.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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French conservatives longed for the ancien régime of church and monarchy, German nationalists for a community rooted in native soil.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Colonial repression and factionalism divided nationalists and left them fighting bitterly over who were the true heirs to the March First Movement.—
Kornel Chang
September 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisan. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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