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partisan

1
[ pahr-tuh-zuhn, -suhn; British pahr-tuh-zan ]
/ ˈpɑr tə zən, -sən; British ˌpɑr təˈzæn /
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noun

an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance.
Military. a member of a party of light or irregular troops engaged in harassing an enemy, especially a member of a guerrilla band engaged in fighting or sabotage against an occupying army.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of partisans; partial to a specific party, person, etc.: partisan politics.
of, relating to, or carried on by military partisans or guerrillas.

RELATED WORDS

intolerance, favoritism, bigotry, prejudice, unfairness, tendency, bent, mind-set, penchant, tendentiousness, tilt, flash, propensity, inclination, proclivity, viewpoint, partiality, preconception, preference, disposition

Nearby words

  1. parting line,
  2. parting of the ways,
  3. parting shot,
  4. parting strip,
  5. partis,
  6. partisanism,
  7. partisanship,
  8. partita,
  9. partite,
  10. partition
Also partizan.

Origin of partisan

1
1545–55; < Middle French, from Upper Italian parteźan (Tuscan partigiano), equivalent to part(e) “faction, part” + -eźan (from unattested Vulgar Latin *-ēs- -ese + Latin -iānus -ian)
SYNONYMS FOR partisan
3 biased, prejudiced.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR partisan ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formspar·ti·san·ship, par·ti·san·ry, noun

Synonym study

1. See follower.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for partisanship

British Dictionary definitions for partisanship (1 of 2)

partisan

1

partizan

/ (ˌpɑːtɪˈzæn, ˈpɑːtɪˌzæn) /

noun

an adherent or devotee of a cause, party, etc
  1. a member of an armed resistance group within occupied territory, esp in Italy or the Balkans in World War II
  2. (as modifier)partisan forces

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan
relating to or excessively devoted to one party, faction, etc; one-sidedpartisan control
Derived Formspartisanship or partizanship, noun

Word Origin for partisan

C16: via French, from Old Italian partigiano, from parte faction, from Latin pars part

British Dictionary definitions for partisanship (2 of 2)

partisan

2

partizan

/ (ˈpɑːtɪzən) /

noun

a spear or pike with two opposing axe blades or spikes

Word Origin for partisan

C16: from French partizane, from Old Italian partigiana, from partigiano partisan 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012