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.
Minnesota’s nonpartisan auditor found the state Education Department’s oversight of the program inadequate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group, has said that the most expansive census-based estimate accounts for about 22,000 to 26,000 babies born in the US from birth tourism every year.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Only three California races are rated as competitive by Cook Political Report, the nonpartisan analyst, compared with 12 races in 2024 and nine in 2022, according to a Times analysis of Cook data.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
“So waiting until 2027 could be far harder than it is right now,” said Jessica Taylor, the Senate and governors editor at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Sometime early in 1992, he’d been approached by the leaders of a national nonpartisan organization called Project VOTE!, which spearheaded efforts to register new voters in states where minority turnout was traditionally low.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions 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.
