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
Given the intense partisanship that now dominates Washington, however, no one should count on that.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2024
Many were concerned about general corruption and lack of accountability in government, like one who said partisanship led to the spread of misinformation.
—Monica Potts, ABC News, 17 May 2024
With partisanship and discord boiling over during the last few election cycles, Dalio’s attendance at a Taylor Swift concert gave him a glimmer of hope at a future where political leaders unite — rather than divide — citizenry.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 16 May 2024
At one point after Mr. Conde took over, executives talked about the possibility of doubling down on partisanship and stripping MSNBC of news altogether, defining it as a pure opinion channel.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 15 May 2024
American democracy, Bassin learned, had arguably been eroding in a similar manner for years, thanks to gerrymandering, the collapse of local news and rise of for-profit social media, and negative partisanship.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 8 May 2024
But the club's long tradition is to avoid partisanship.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 May 2024
Instead, partisanship has kept the delegation from consistently meeting together for decades, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), who heads the state’s Democratic delegation, and her GOP counterpart Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), who have both been in Congress since the 1990s.
—Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024
Groups Focusing on the two-way Biden-Trump race, results show the pull of partisanship and ideology.
—Gary Langer, ABC News, 5 May 2024
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2024
Many were concerned about general corruption and lack of accountability in government, like one who said partisanship led to the spread of misinformation.
—Monica Potts, ABC News, 17 May 2024
With partisanship and discord boiling over during the last few election cycles, Dalio’s attendance at a Taylor Swift concert gave him a glimmer of hope at a future where political leaders unite — rather than divide — citizenry.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 16 May 2024
At one point after Mr. Conde took over, executives talked about the possibility of doubling down on partisanship and stripping MSNBC of news altogether, defining it as a pure opinion channel.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 15 May 2024
American democracy, Bassin learned, had arguably been eroding in a similar manner for years, thanks to gerrymandering, the collapse of local news and rise of for-profit social media, and negative partisanship.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 8 May 2024
But the club's long tradition is to avoid partisanship.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 May 2024
Instead, partisanship has kept the delegation from consistently meeting together for decades, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), who heads the state’s Democratic delegation, and her GOP counterpart Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), who have both been in Congress since the 1990s.
—Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024
Groups Focusing on the two-way Biden-Trump race, results show the pull of partisanship and ideology.
—Gary Langer, ABC News, 5 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'partisanship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near partisanship
Cite this Entry
“Partisanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisanship. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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