partisan

¹

[ pahr-tuh-zuhn, -suhn; British pahr-tuh-zan ]

noun

1. an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance.

   Antonyms: opponent

2. Military. a member of a party of light or irregular troops engaged in harassing an enemy, especially a member of a guerrilla band engaged in fighting or sabotage against an occupying army.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of partisans; partial to a specific party, person, etc.:

   partisan politics.

   Synonyms: prejudiced, biased

2. of, relating to, or carried on by military partisans or guerrillas.

partisan

²

[ pahr-tuh-zuhn, -suhn ]

noun

1. a shafted weapon of the 16th and 17th centuries, having as a head a long spear blade with a pair of curved lobes at the base.

partisan

¹

/ ˈpɑːtɪˌzæn; ˌpɑːtɪˈzæn /

noun

1. an adherent or devotee of a cause, party, etc
2. 1. a member of an armed resistance group within occupied territory, esp in Italy or the Balkans in World War II
   2. ( as modifier )

      partisan forces

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan
2. relating to or excessively devoted to one party, faction, etc; one-sided

   partisan control

partisan

²

/ ˈpɑːtɪzən /

noun

1. a spear or pike with two opposing axe blades or spikes

Derived Forms

• ˌpartiˈsanship, noun

Other Words From

• par·ti·san·ship par·ti·san·ry noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of partisan¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Middle French, from Upper Italian parteźan (Tuscan partigiano ), equivalent to part(e) “faction, part” ( part ) + -eźan (from unattested Vulgar Latin -ēs- adjective suffix of place ( -ese ) + Latin -iānus adjective suffix ( -ian )

Origin of partisan²

1550–60; < Middle French partizane < Upper Italian parteźana, probably by ellipsis from (unattested) arma parteźana “weapon borne by members of a faction”; partisan ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of partisan¹

C16: via French, from Old Italian partigiano, from parte faction, from Latin pars part

Origin of partisan²

C16: from French partizane, from Old Italian partigiana, from partigiano partisan ¹

Synonym Study

See follower.

Example Sentences

“An 11th hour partisan proposal released 415 days after the expiration of the current farm bill is insulting,” he wrote.

From Salon

Apparently, this was just the latest wave of such requests that have been received by all the various federal agencies sent by Trump-aligned groups over the last two years demanding to identify "perceived partisans."

From Salon

The four sessions I attended were unsurprisingly partisan but surprisingly thoughtful and open-minded.

From Los Angeles Times

Second, he is a flagrant partisan who has demonstrated beyond dispute that he would put Trump’s interests over any fair application of the law.

From Los Angeles Times

But, "political and partisan conflicts between the president and senators have at times produced dramatic fights over cabinet nominees and led to their ultimate withdrawal or rejection," the Senate's historical website notes.

From BBC

Related Words

• biased
• one-sided
• sectarian
• sympathetic
• unjust