partisanship
noun
par·ti·san·ship
ˈpär-tə-zən-ˌship 
-sən-,
-ˌzan-,
chiefly British ˌpär-tə-ˈzan-
: the quality or state of being partisan : strong and sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause, or person
political partisanship
The Court is so riven by partisanship that justices even pick their law clerks in ways influenced by ideology …—
Anthony Lewis
Anthony LewisThe succession of Civil War, Reconstruction and the Gilded Age was marked by bitter partisanship, endemic corruption, appalling violence and a general sense that democracy was failing.—Jon Grinspan
Jon GrinspanExamples of partisanship in a Sentence
partisanship can discourage any serious search for the truth
there's a pervasive partisanship in the company that prevents it from acknowledging that other companies are outpacing it with innovative ideas
Recent Examples on the Web
But contrary to popular belief, lawmakers are not always simply voting based on blind partisanship.
—Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 3 July 2025
Partisan breakdown Opinions on the Middle Eastern conflict are heavily divided based on partisanship, found the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
But the criticism of partisanship in late-night hosts generally ran in only one direction, and those hours became a mostly conservative-free zone.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 18 July 2025
This experiment in self-government is being challenged by bitter partisanship that make Americans on one side of the political divide view their opposites as enemies, not fellow citizens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for partisanship
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Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 3 July 2025
Partisan breakdown Opinions on the Middle Eastern conflict are heavily divided based on partisanship, found the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
But the criticism of partisanship in late-night hosts generally ran in only one direction, and those hours became a mostly conservative-free zone.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 18 July 2025
This experiment in self-government is being challenged by bitter partisanship that make Americans on one side of the political divide view their opposites as enemies, not fellow citizens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for partisanship
Cite this Entry
“Partisanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisanship. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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