partisanship

American  

[pahr-tuh-zuhn-ship, -suhn] / ˈpɑr tə zənˌʃɪp, -sən /

Rarely partisanry

noun

1. support of a person, group, party, or cause, especially when seen as biased or emotional: I found myself hoping that the astronomical community would leave Pluto’s planetary status as it was and began following the debate, although my partisanship didn’t extend to letter writing.

   Regardless of the panelists’ political leanings or partisanship, all political topics will be considered for discussion.

   I found myself hoping that the astronomical community would leave Pluto’s planetary status as it was and began following the debate, although my partisanship didn’t extend to letter writing.

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Etymology

Origin of partisanship

partisan ¹ ( def. ) + -ship ( def. )

Example Sentences

This matter calls for sober deliberation with a minimum of partisanship and recrimination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

When Kinsky's number went up, it was left to his Spurs' team-mates and even Atletico Madrid's fans, who pushed their passion and partisanship to one side to offer sympathetic applause, to console him.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

“The audience tells us what they want is less partisanship, less of a focus on extremes and more of a focus on civil, solutions-oriented dialogue,” NBC News President Rebecca Blumenstein said in an interview.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

However, I was struck by Gov. Cox of Utah, who talked about political violence in terms that transcended partisanship, but he felt like one of the few leaders to do so.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025

Abigail’s accusations, on the other hand, were private and personal, came from someone whom he respected as an intimate friend, and went beyond mere matters of political partisanship to questions of honor and trust.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• bigotry
• favoritism
• intolerance
• prejudice
• tendency
• unfairness