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

She joined the congressional team after the 2010 elections and has spent more than a decade tracking the growth of partisanship and political fragmentation in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 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

If it is just raw sporting partisanship that prevails, we would do well to remember it was not just the good side of such support that was on show at the Irish Open last Sunday.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025

There was a link of understanding between them more important than affection or partisanship.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

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