partisan

1 of 3

noun (1)

par·​ti·​san ˈpär-tə-zən  -sən 

-ˌzan,

 chiefly British  ˌpär-tə-ˈzan

variants or less commonly partizan

1

: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person

especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance

political partisans who see only one side of the problem

2

a

: a member of a body of detached light troops making forays and harassing an enemy

Peasant partisans assaulted the French army.

b

: a member of a guerrilla band operating within enemy lines

Polish partisans had blown up two trains

—Springfield (Massachusetts) Union

partisanly

ˈpär-tə-zən-lē 

-sən-

-ˌzan-

 chiefly British  ˌpär-tə-ˈzan-

adverb

partisan

2 of 3

adjective

1

: feeling, showing, or deriving from strong and sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause, or person : exhibiting, characterized by, or resulting from partisanship

partisan politics

partisan loyalty

Secularism is indeed correlated with greater tolerance of gay marriage and pot legalization. But it's also making America's partisan clashes more brutal.

—Peter Beinart

The editorial page of the newspaper captured the mood of an America frustrated by partisan division …

—Joseph Cress

The modern Democratic party may honor the cerebral Jefferson as one of its founders, but the true paternity lies with the fiercely partisan Jackson. He made it a fighting electoral force.

—Bernard A. Weisberger

2

: of, carried on by, or being military partisans

partisan fighters

partisan warfare

partisan

3 of 3

noun (2)

par·​ti·​san ˈpär-tə-zən 

-sən

variants or partizan

: a weapon of the 16th and 17th centuries with long shaft and broad blade

Did you know?

Partisan and Politics

A partisan is someone who supports one part or party. Sometimes the support takes the form of military action, as when guerrilla fighters take on government forces. But partisan is actually most often used as an adjective, usually referring to support of a political party. so if you're accused of being too partisan, or of practicing partisan politics, it means you're mainly interested in boosting your own party and attacking the other one.

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• acolyte
• adherent
• convert
• disciple
• epigone
• follower
• liege man
• pupil
• votarist
• votary

Adjective

• biased
• one-sided
• parti pris
• partial
• prejudiced

Choose the Right Synonym for partisan

follower, adherent, disciple, partisan mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another.

follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

Examples of partisan in a Sentence

Noun (1)

partisans of the charismatic leader refuse to tolerate any criticism of him at all

a partisan of the revolution who was even willing to give her life for it

she's too much of a political partisan to ever concede that the other side might have a valid point

Adjective

a shamelessly partisan reporter covering the primary campaign

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Previously a judge ruled the measure’s language as written by the City Council was partisan and it was changed for the ballot to remove a description of who some of the noncitizens are; plaintiffs argued the phrasing could swing voters to support the measure. —Destiny Torres, Orange County Register, 6 Nov. 2024

For several cycles now, California’s lengthy vote-counting processes have meant that weeks have gone by before the final partisan breakdown of the House is known. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

Political polarization in this country is such that partisans look at each other with mutual incomprehension. —Gary Langer, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024

There are some hardcore partisans who'd just like their party to run everything. —CBS News, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French partisan, from north Italian dialect partiźan, from part part, party, from Latin part-, pars part

Noun (2)

Middle French partisane, from north Italian dialect partiźana, feminine of partiźan

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1708, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1542, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

partisan

noun

par·​ti·​san

ˈpärt-ə-zən

1

: a person who is strongly devoted to a particular cause or group

2

: guerrilla

partisan adjective

partisanship

-ˌship

noun