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 GrinspanSynonyms
Examples 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
During Trump's first term, the committee became a hotbed of partisanship as its powers were used to assist the then-president.
—arkansasonline.com, 16 Jan. 2025
The strongest and weakest Senate candidates The simplest way to assess the strength and weakness of candidates for Congress is to compare their performances to a consistent baseline measurement of partisanship.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
But the smoke is still rising, and petty partisanship is a distraction and disservice at the moment, given all that’s been lost, and all the hard work of moving forward.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
While some might expect a president’s death to unite the country, the public is too polarized to put partisanship aside and grieve together for long, according to Northeastern University political science professor Costas Panagopoulos.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for partisanship 
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.
arkansasonline.com, 16 Jan. 2025
The strongest and weakest Senate candidates The simplest way to assess the strength and weakness of candidates for Congress is to compare their performances to a consistent baseline measurement of partisanship.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
But the smoke is still rising, and petty partisanship is a distraction and disservice at the moment, given all that’s been lost, and all the hard work of moving forward.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
While some might expect a president’s death to unite the country, the public is too polarized to put partisanship aside and grieve together for long, according to Northeastern University political science professor Costas Panagopoulos.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for partisanship
Dictionary Entries Near partisanship
Cite this Entry
“Partisanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisanship. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share