WordGarden.iopartisanship
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /pˈɑːtɪsənʃˌɪp/
US
- /ˈpɑrtəzənˌʃɪp/
Meanings
Noun
strong loyalty to a political party or side, often with divisive bias
biased support for one side in a dispute or cause
Beyond the definition
Imagine two rival sports teams, the Red Hawks and the Blue Jays. If you support the Red Hawks so strongly that you defend them no matter what and reject anything good about the Blue Jays, that is what this word looks like in action. It usually means strong support for one political party, group, or cause, especially when that support makes someone favor one side too much.
This kind of loyalty is not always bad. It can push people to get involved, speak up, and work for what they believe in. But too much of it can cause division, block compromise, and turn every issue into a fight between sides. You might hear about "growing partisanship" in politics when the gap between parties keeps getting wider.
Partisanship is strong loyalty to one party, side, or cause. Most often, the word is used in politics, where it describes people who firmly support their own party and often judge events, ideas, or policies based on that loyalty. It is more than simple support. It suggests that a person is closely tied to one side and may be less willing to fairly consider the other side.
You can think of it as wearing team colors: you are not just watching the game, you are deeply invested in your side winning. In public life, this often appears as firm support for party leaders, repeated criticism of opponents, and difficulty reaching compromise. That is why people talk about "partisan divides" or "partisan gridlock" when political groups cannot work together.
The word is not always used as a criticism. Strong loyalty to a cause or party can help people stay active, organize others, and defend ideas they believe matter. Still, the word often carries a negative tone because it can suggest bias, stubborn side-taking, and an "us versus them" mindset. In everyday use, it usually points to a way of thinking in which loyalty to one side becomes more important than open, balanced judgment.
Examples
- 1
Public frustration
Voters are tired of the partisanship that turns every small issue into a fight.
- 2
Committee report
The committee tried to keep partisanship out of its report.
- 3
Courts
Several judges warned that growing partisanship could damage public trust in the courts.
- 4
Crisis response
The mayor called for cooperation above partisanship after the storm.
- Phraseabove partisanship
more important than party loyalty
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Election coverage
The newspaper faced accusations of partisanship in its election coverage.
See also
Similar
- bias
- partiality
- political allegiance
Shades of meaning
- factionalism
- political bias
- tribalism
Contrast
- impartiality
- nonpartisanship
Used with (collocations)
- political partisanship
- partisanship in Congress
- rise in partisanship
- blind partisanship
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- partisanshipnoun