partisan 1 of 2

partisan

2 of 2

noun

variants also partizan
1
2
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word partisan different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of partisan are adherent, disciple, and follower. While all these words mean "one who gives full loyalty and support to another," partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

When could adherent be used to replace partisan?

The synonyms adherent and partisan are sometimes interchangeable, but adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

When might disciple be a better fit than partisan?

While the synonyms disciple and partisan are close in meaning, disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

When can follower be used instead of partisan?

Although the words follower and partisan have much in common, follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

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 partisan
Adjective
If states redraw their maps with a partisan advantage, the courts could strike them down. Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2025 Instead, the well-being of Texans has once again come second to flagrant backroom partisan power-plays. Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
Trump had officially nominated her for the position but was opposed by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Andy Kim, Democrats who questioned her qualifications and called her prosecutions partisan. Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 22 July 2025 The symbolic 5-2 vote followed council members’ accusations that Burns failed to notify them about legislation that made Monroe’s elections partisan, misused the city’s logo and address to share personal political views, and struggled to maintain order during meetings. Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for partisan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisan
Adjective
  • This initiates a continuous, adaptive cycle: retrieving data, reasoning over it, taking actions, storing partial outcomes and adjusting future steps.
    Naren Narendran, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Peteski also objected to PBR’s partial joinder in support of the TBN and TCT motion.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The Amazon Essentials product line offering everyday low prices continues to gain new adherents and now represents one out of every three units sold.
    Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
  • There was already a playbook for action, a loyal membership and an understanding that aggressive action would yield new adherents.
    Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 29 July 2025
Noun
  • Mamdani’s 14-mile walk this week of Manhattan, in scorching heat, evoked the neighborhood canvasses of John Lindsay, the liberal crusader whose budget priorities contributed to the city’s 1970s fiscal crisis.
    Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 24 June 2025
  • The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild by Bryan Burrough Wes Hardin, the homicidal Texas gunslinger and Confederate crusader, was hardly a typical American hero.
    Clifford Krauss, Air Mail, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • People want to get rid of religious parties, people want to put sectarians behind to build an Iraq for all Iraqis.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 22 May 2015
  • 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
  • In recent weeks, both have also moved military forces to the border near Assab and are engaging in escalating exchanges of hostile rhetoric.
    Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Meanwhile, Trump has moved closer to Pakistan, with which India has hostile relations and the U.S. has historically had a complex and sometimes tense relationship, especially as Pakistan has grown closer to and is primarily armed by China.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Many people of Heather's followers went on to share their shock at how much Tristan had grown in the comments section.
    Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Beyoncé already has a base of 310 million followers on her Instagram.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Call for return of Alaska to Russia Some Russian nationalists, including politicians, have called for the U.S. to give Alaska back to Russia.
    Solcyré Burga, Time, 14 Aug. 2025
  • But since then, Dodik has refashioned himself as an unrepentant nationalist, denying the genocide of 8,000 Bosniaks at Srebrenica in 1995, the war’s most notorious massacre, and often meeting with Putin in Moscow.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The screen briefly went black as strange, distorted voices could be heard, hinting at a serious mental shift for the character.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Throughout a boisterous show with countless distorted jam sessions, White shuffled, squealed, stomped and screamed.
    Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisan. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

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