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P/Partisan
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Visual memory aid for Partisan

Partisan

A strong, biased supporter of a party or cause; as an adjective, describing biased, one-sided allegiance to a party or faction.

noun and adjective
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Imagine This

Imagine a town hall where a speaker loudly cheers for their party, dismisses opposing views as 'the enemy,' and a journalist notes the clear, one-sided coverage.

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Sounds Like

PART-uh-zən

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Looks Like

Resembles the root 'part' and is closely related to 'party' in political contexts; visually similar to 'partial'.

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Remember This

Partisan comes from the Latin pars (part) and has long referred to a member or advocate of a party or faction; related noun form is partisanship.

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Other Forms

partisanshipnoun
nonpartisanadjective
partisanismnoun
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Connect With

bias, prejudice, loyalty, faction, sectarianism, propaganda, impartiality, objectivity

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Note

Use 'partisan' to describe bias tied to a party or cause. Use 'nonpartisan' to describe neutrality. Be careful not to imply a general, non-political bias when you mean political bias (context matters).

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Study Deeper

Examples
  • The senator's partisan stance made it difficult to pass bipartisan legislation.
  • A partisan news outlet will present data to support its favored candidate.
Synonyms
biasedprejudicedpartialone-sidedfactional
Antonyms
neutralimpartialnonpartisanobjectiveunbiased
Etymology

From Latin pars, part- meaning 'part,' via Old French partisan and Italian partigiano; originally referred to a soldier attached to a party or faction, later extended to a person who strongly supports one party or cause.

Mnemonic

PART IS AN ALLY: Remember that a partisan is PART of a party's crew, an ALLY who is loyal to that side.