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Partisan

par-tuh-ZAN /ˌpɑː.tɪˈzæn/

adjectivenounC1GRESATGMATUPSC

formalpolitical

Prejudiced in favor of a particular cause, faction, or political party; or a committed supporter.

Implies strong, often unyielding party loyalty that may resist compromise or objective facts.

The story behind the word. From Italian 'partigiano' (member of a faction), derived from Latin 'pars' (part). Originally referred to light military skirmishers pledged to a single commander, later adapting to describe devoted political party members.

Word relationships

sectarian: Sectarian usually refers to religious factions, while partisan refers to political parties.
biased: Biased is a general term for prejudice, whereas partisan specifically targets political alignment.

bipartisan: Involving agreement or cooperation between two opposing political parties.
nonpartisan: Free from party affiliation or political bias.

Commonly confused with

bipartisan: Bipartisan means involving two opposing political parties working together, unlike single-party partisan alignment.

Word family

partisanship (noun): Prejudice in favor of a particular cause or faction.
hyper-partisan (adjective): Extremely biased in favor of a political party.

Collocations

partisan politics
hyper-partisan
partisan divide
fiercely partisan

Idioms & expressions

party line
tribal politics

Example sentences

"Heavy partisan bickering delayed the passage of the national infrastructure bill." Legislative gridlock
"The commentator was criticized for delivering a fiercely partisan analysis of the debate." Political commentary

Memory hook

Taking a PART in a party makes you PARTisan. Taking sides with your political tribe.

When not to use

Do not use to describe balanced, neutral observers or non-aligned professionals.

Fun facts

In World War II, anti-fascist resistance fighters in Europe were famously called 'partisans'.