partisan 1 of 2

partisan

2 of 2

noun

variants also partizan
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2
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as in sectarian
one who stubbornly or intolerantly adheres to his or her own opinions and prejudices she's too much of a political partisan to ever concede that the other side might have a valid point

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word partisan different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of partisan are adherent, disciple, and follower. While all these words mean "one who gives full loyalty and support to another," partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

When could adherent be used to replace partisan?

The synonyms adherent and partisan are sometimes interchangeable, but adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

When might disciple be a better fit than partisan?

While the synonyms disciple and partisan are close in meaning, disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

When can follower be used instead of partisan?

Although the words follower and partisan have much in common, follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of partisan
Adjective
While the administration's overall approach to immigration, for instance, was viewed more negatively than positively among all voters, with 42% approving and 47% disapproving, in a Pew Research Center survey in June, the partisan gulf is immense. Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 12 July 2025 Some, like David Lane, denounced the recall effort, questioned the motives and warned council members about an escalation of partisan politics in local government. Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
Noun
Just why the soldiers targeted Horman and Teruggi remains a mystery; Dinges suggests, in his sensitive portraits of the two committed partisans, that their deep involvement with left-wing politics in Chile may have put them at risk. Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025 As for the loyal opposition, Democrats are in bad odor with voters and even many of their own partisans after Joe Biden’s handlers gaslighted the public on the frailty and declining faculties of the octogenarian president. Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for partisan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisan
Adjective
  • The mission of many SEL programs reflects a view that instilling grade assessed knowledge is only a partial goal of education and that the classroom is the first opportunity for many students to interact with others of various backgrounds, beliefs and abilities.
    Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • Estimating the number of QAnon believers is difficult because many individuals do not openly identify with the movement, and those who do often hold a range of loosely connected or partial beliefs rather than adhering to a consistent or uniform ideology.
    Art Jipson, The Conversation, 19 July 2025
Noun
  • Many of these people are hyper-online and, in their most extreme, can manifest as QAnon adherents.
    Donie O'Sullivan, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
  • When the doomsday prediction from a cult leader doesn’t come true, adherents don’t pack up their Nikes and find another cult.
    S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 16 July 2025
Noun
  • Today, taxes on wealth, as opposed to income, form the core of anti-billionaire crusaders’ plans to eliminate the largest fortunes.
    Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
  • Anti-pornography crusaders are on a winning streak.
    Pilar Melendez, NBC news, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • People want to get rid of religious parties, people want to put sectarians behind to build an Iraq for all Iraqis.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 22 May 2015
  • Both sides insist the other initiated the initial volley of gunfire that killed four agents and six sectarians.
    Joshua Alston, Variety, 12 Apr. 2023
Adjective
  • Five days later, on July 8, an attorney for the city manager submitted a letter of potential claim against the city citing defamation, harassment and creation of a hostile work environment.
    Anita Edmondson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2025
  • In early October 2022, the ruling said, McCarty filed a hostile work environment complaint with the police department.
    Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • In 2023, Angel Reese’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) valuation jumped during the week of the Final Four, alongside a spike in her follower count.
    Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • With millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok and Substack, the platform is positioned towards helping young people better understand the news, with regular free newsletters and podcasts.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • Public education, one of the cornerstones of democracy, is itself on the line, as religious nationalists support the diversion of taxpayer funds to provide vouchers for religious schools.
    Randall Balmer, Twin Cities, 23 July 2025
  • As denialism spreads, Serb nationalists have grown more defiant.
    David Rohde, NBC news, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • As a result, the protective force field scientists call the magnetosphere became distorted and leaky.
    Raven Garvey, Space.com, 24 July 2025
  • Neither their rangers nor their exhibits should be intimidated into parroting a sanitized and distorted version of the nation’s past.
    John Lawrence, Twin Cities, 18 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisan. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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