partisan Hear it!

partisan¹ Definition

par·ti·san (pärt′ə zən, -sən)

noun

  1. a person who takes the part of or strongly supports one side, party, or person; often, specif., an unreasoning, emotional adherent
  2. any of a group of guerrilla fighters; esp., a member of an organized civilian force fighting covertly to drive out occupying enemy troops

Etymology: MFr < It partigiano < parte < L pars, part

adjective

  1. of, like, or characteristic of a partisan
  2. blindly or unreasonably devoted
  3. of or having to do with military partisans

partisan¹ Related Forms
par′·ti·san·ship′ noun
partisan² Definition

par·ti·san (pärt′ə zən, -sən)

noun

a broad-bladed weapon with a long shaft, used esp. in the 16th cent.

Etymology: MFr partisane < It partigiana, fem. of partigiano (see partisan): sense infl. by pertugiare, to pierce

partisan Synonyms

partisan

modif.

factional, biased, sympathetic, blind, devoted, fanatic, warped, zealous, overzealous, unreasoning, cliquish, cliquey, conspiratorial, exclusive, accessory, adhering, leagued together, unjust, unconsidered, ganged-up*.

partisan Synonyms

partisan

n.

adherent, supporter, sympathizer, follower, disciple, satellite, sycophant, devotee, zealot, accessory, backer; see also follower. See syn. study at follower.

partisan Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • fight: I will protect any commander who exceeds our usual restraint in the choice and severity of the means he adopts whilst fighting partisans.
  • join: However, the more civilians were targeted, the more people joined the partisans.
  • work: Genuine working class partisans want to see that vanguard organized.

Adjective modifier

  • Yugoslav: During World War Two he served as a full Colonel with the Yugoslav partisans, retiring to his family home in Somerset in 1946.
  • communist: The First Republic was born from below under the pressure of anti-fascist republicanism and the communist partisans.
  • Italian: They were captured at Lake Como by Italian partisans on 27th April, 1945.

Preposition: on

    Modifying Another Word

    • overtly: We have laws in the UK against the sort of overtly partisan broadcasting that Fox are often accused of.
    • fiercely: Cardiff, roared on by a fiercely partisan crowd, refused to bow.
    • politically: The current Bush administration has attempted tax reform with mixed and politically partisan results.
    • highly: The whole process showed the Parliament using its powers in a highly partisan way in order to thwart the Council of Ministers's choice.
    • too: Too partisan a summing up is not always clever - at the very least it can annoy the Chamber.
    • very: Currently, the mood on Capitol Hill seems very partisan, with each party criticizing the other's proposal.

    Modifies a noun

    • warfare: By May 1941 partisan warfare had broken out throughout what was formerly Yugoslavia.
    • crowd: Cardiff, roared on by a fiercely partisan crowd, refused to bow.
    • politics: CUSU has a duty to rise above partisan politics.
    • stance: Schools, however, should ensure that strongly partisan political stances are avoided.
    • fighter: Tito returned to Yugoslavia and helped establish the partisan resistance fighters.
    • bias: But the basic analysis shows no partisan bias and contains some remarkable findings.

    Noun used with modifier

    • class: Genuine working class partisans want to see that vanguard organized.