partisan 1 of 2

partisan

2 of 2

noun

variants also partizan
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2
3
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

Examples 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
Among those who have already voted, 57% cast their ballots for Harris and 40% voted for Trump, according to the survey—reflecting typical partisan voting trends as more Democrats than Republicans tend to vote early. Sara Dorn, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 Complicating matters is Proposition 133, a competing measure that would ban all-party primaries and enshrine partisan primaries in the state constitution. Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
If the obstacles are not being placed by the Russians, then the most likely candidates would be sabotage groups or partisans working behind the lines. David Hambling, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 There is a share of Americans, the committed partisans and infovores, that will always supply an audience for national media operations. Ross Douthat, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for partisan 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisan
Adjective
  • The Grizzlies were already without star guard Ja Morant, who hasn’t played since suffering pelvic muscle strains and subluxation (partial dislocation) in his right hip in last week’s matchup against the Lakers, Desmond Bane (strained right oblique) and GG Jackson (right foot surgery recovery).
    Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Interest expense decreased to $19 million from $34 million, reflecting partial debt repayment.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Their culture has employed parts of indigenous African traditions continuously since its first adherents were forcibly removed from Africa and brought to the southeastern United States against their will and enslaved on plantations.
    Dennis Romero, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Conservatives were 28% more likely to strongly support Israel, the survey found, while adherents of premillennialism, the belief in Jesus’ second coming and subsequent 1,000-year rule, were 83% more likely to support Israel.
    Marc A Ramirez, USA TODAY, 11 June 2024
Noun
  • Miller leads a cohort of former officials and anti-immigrant MAGA crusaders who now better understand the levers of government.
    Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
  • To make its new version of Cleo a crusader, the series has to make the Black community around her incredibly susceptible to superstition and immorality, and that’s a crummy bargain.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 July 2024
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
  • The recall’s organizers, who have employed an especially hostile rhetoric toward the mayor, saw the lopsided early margin as confirmation of a likely victory.
    Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
  • In the novel, an astrophysicist, as an act of revenge for her father’s murder by Red Guards, chooses to put Earth at risk by sending out a provocative interstellar message to hostile aliens.
    H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • In 2019, the young white nationalist Nick Fuentes encouraged his followers, called Groypers, to show up at Turning Point events and troll Kirk for not being far enough to the right.
    Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
  • The actor, 98, shared a video on Instagram on Monday, Nov. 4 — the day before the presidential election — to encourage his followers to vote for Democrat candidate Kamala Harris.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Graham is a neocon who loves war because he’s possessed by a demonic force; Putin is a nationalist who is looking out for Russia’s interests.
    Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
  • The conference’s speaker list included a variety of election conspiracists with links to Trump—including far-right figure Mark Finchem, who is currently running for a seat in Arizona’s statehouse—and Christian nationalists, including Bill Cook, the founder of America’s Black Robe Regiment.
    David Gilbert, WIRED, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Researchers said the negative impact of this phenomenon can lead to a distorted view of what's normal.
    Matthew Dolan, Detroit Free Press, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Hassan’s video came as a response to the distorted depiction of the neighbourhood in the 2024 Netflix series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar by the Indian filmmaker, Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
    Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near partisan

Cite this Entry

“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisan. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on partisan

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