nonpartisan
Americanadjective
-
not supporting or controlled by a political party, special interest group, or the like.
- Synonyms:
- disinterested
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nonpartisan
First recorded in 1880–85; non- + partisan 1
Explanation
Nonpartisan words and actions don't show allegiance to any political party. They're politically neutral. In the United States’ political system, it often seems like politicians only do what's best for their party: the Democrats or Republicans. Politicians are partisan when they act in favor of their party. To behave in a nonpartisan way is to put politics aside. A nonpartisan bill wouldn't be good just for one party: it would be good for the whole country. Politicians who are nonpartisan stop worrying about elections for a minute and get some things done.
Vocabulary lists containing nonpartisan
One Nation, Under Vocabulary: Political Parlance
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Just Mercy
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Civics II
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There’s not going to be a long honeymoon period,” said Mark Baldassare, the survey director at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
“Folks on both sides of the aisle are rallying behind this,” said Lexi Elio, a transportation-policy specialist with the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Research by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice found that leading chatbots pushed back against common election conspiracy theories, including claims that voting machines were rigged, even when repeatedly challenged.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
There have been few nonpartisan polls of Nebraska, so it’s hard to know exactly where the race stands.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
The nonpartisan fellowship also gave me the chance to learn from the other fellows, an impressively diverse and talented group from all over the country.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
