partisan

1 of 3

noun (1)

par·ti·san ˈpär-tə-zən

-sən

-ˌzan,

chiefly British ˌpär-tə-ˈzan

variants or less commonly partizan

Synonyms of partisan next

: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person

especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance

political partisans who see only one side of the problem

: a member of a body of detached light troops making forays and harassing an enemy

Peasant partisans assaulted the French army.

: a member of a guerrilla band operating within enemy lines

Polish partisans had blown up two trains—

Springfield (Massachusetts) Union

partisanly

ˈpär-tə-zən-lē

-sən-

-ˌzan-

chiefly British ˌpär-tə-ˈzan-

adverb

partisan

2 of 3

adjective

: feeling, showing, or deriving from strong and sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause, or person : exhibiting, characterized by, or resulting from partisanship

partisan politics

partisan loyalty

Secularism is indeed correlated with greater tolerance of gay marriage and pot legalization. But it's also making America's partisan clashes more brutal.—

Peter Beinart

The editorial page of the newspaper captured the mood of an America frustrated by partisan division …—

Joseph Cress

The modern Democratic party may honor the cerebral Jefferson as one of its founders, but the true paternity lies with the fiercely partisan Jackson. He made it a fighting electoral force.—

Bernard A. Weisberger

: of, carried on by, or being military partisans

partisan fighters

partisan warfare

partisan

3 of 3

noun (2)

par·ti·san ˈpär-tə-zən

-sən

variants or partizan

: a weapon of the 16th and 17th centuries with long shaft and broad blade

Did you know?

Partisan and Politics

A partisan is someone who supports one part or party. Sometimes the support takes the form of military action, as when guerrilla fighters take on government forces. But partisan is actually most often used as an adjective, usually referring to support of a political party. so if you're accused of being too partisan, or of practicing partisan politics, it means you're mainly interested in boosting your own party and attacking the other one.

Choose the Right Synonym for partisan

follower, adherent, disciple, partisan mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another.

follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

Examples of partisan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That provision was driven by Republican leaders, but government secrecy is not a partisan issue. —

Taylor Batten, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024 Respondents were largely divided along partisan lines, with 84% of Democrats opposing it and 71% of Republicans supporting it. —

Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024 Still, cutting in the months just before the election could put policymakers under a partisan spotlight: former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has already painted possible rate cuts as a political ploy to help Democrats. —

Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024 He is constrained not so much by his vaunted love for Israel but by the wide gap between U.S. and Israeli stakes in the conflict and the challenge to his administration of navigating an emerging, historic partisan political split over the U.S.-Israeli relationship in a decisive election year. —

Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024 Caught in the dragnet are influencers and politicians on the political right who call his actions partisan and a curb on freedom of expression. —

Niha Masih, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024 But partisan disputes over the details have doomed previous proposals. —

David Klepper, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024 The roughly 80-minute hearing came after Mayes made a trek to the Capitol, holding a press conference to dismiss the committee as a partisan stunt. —

Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024 Faith in voting systems has become polarized along partisan lines, thanks in no small part to Trump’s vilification of the system and his refusal to accept that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. —

Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Noun

After the inauguration, Bolsonaro partisans had launched a chaotic assault on the Presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court, and some police and members of the military had assisted the mob. —

Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024 Here’s one example — too many journalists have become partisans and appear perfectly comfortable misrepresenting facts to advance a narrative. —

Byron Harlan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024 As politicians and partisans debate how to make sure Social Security — an historically amazing and important program for the aging — has a secure financial future, one topic regularly brought up is the idea of delaying the retirement age. —

Erik Sherman, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2024 For experts in museum ethics, LACMA’s handling of the situation — which partisans see as a proxy battle in a larger war over evolving ideas of power at the nexus of art, justice and globalism — is unsurprising yet unfortunate. —

Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024 Of course, partisans see things differently on the issue front. —

Dana Blanton, Fox News, 14 Feb. 2024 But as political attitudes begin to coincide with moral convictions, partisans increasingly view each other as immoral. —

Phillip McGarry, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024 While many independent voters are partisans without the label, others sit in the winnable middle. —

Jack Healy, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Devoted partisans on both sides will watch, along with the tiny handful of high-information swing voters who actually pay close attention to political campaigns. —

Matthew Yglesias, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'partisan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French partisan, from north Italian dialect partiźan, from part part, party, from Latin part-, pars part

Noun (2)

Middle French partisane, from north Italian dialect partiźana, feminine of partiźan

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1708, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1542, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of partisan was in 1542

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisan. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

partisan

noun

par·ti·san

ˈpärt-ə-zən

: a person who is strongly devoted to a particular cause or group

: guerrilla

partisan adjective

partisanship

-ˌship

noun

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partisan

noun (1)

adjective

noun (2)

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Synonyms

Examples of partisan in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near partisan

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition