impartial

adjective

im·​par·​tial (ˌ)im-ˈpär-shəl How to pronounce impartial (audio)
: not partial or biased : treating or affecting all equally
impartiality noun
impartially adverb

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Impartial vs Partial

To be "partial to" or "partial toward" someone or something is to be somewhat biased or prejudiced, which means that a person who is partial really only sees part of the whole picture. To be impartial is the opposite. The United Nations sends impartial observers to monitor elections in troubled countries. We hope judges and juries will be impartial when they hand down verdicts. But grandparents aren't expected to be impartial when describing their new grandchild.

Choose the Right Synonym for impartial

fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, dispassionate, objective mean free from favor toward either or any side.

fair implies a proper balance of conflicting interests.

a fair decision

just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper.

a just settlement of territorial claims

equitable implies a less rigorous standard than just and usually suggests equal treatment of all concerned.

the equitable distribution of the property

impartial stresses an absence of favor or prejudice.

an impartial third party

unbiased implies even more strongly an absence of all prejudice.

your unbiased opinion

dispassionate suggests freedom from the influence of strong feeling and often implies cool or even cold judgment.

a dispassionate summation of the facts

objective stresses a tendency to view events or persons as apart from oneself and one's own interest or feelings.

I can't be objective about my own child

Examples of impartial in a Sentence

an impartial analysis of the case an impartial evaluation of the job applicant's qualifications that does not consider age, gender, or race
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Eastwood raised the same predicament in The 15:17 to Paris and Sully when seeming to be impartial while playing off recent incidents that inspired the scripts. Armond White, National Review, 22 Nov. 2024 But the way fandom works in Spain — in particular with the big two clubs, Barcelona and Madrid — means those pundits are often labelled the enemy of one or other team, despite trying to be impartial. Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 20 Nov. 2024 Fairness, a sense of impartial justice, and prudent judgement are essential values our state's judges must exercise, and these allegations portray a grave failing of those values from a probate court bench. Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 6 Sep. 2024 Attorneys who completed a survey about her work called her fair and impartial. John Frank, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for impartial 

Word History

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of impartial was in 1587

Dictionary Entries Near impartial

Cite this Entry

“Impartial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impartial. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

impartial

adjective
im·​par·​tial (ˈ)im-ˈpär-shəl How to pronounce impartial (audio)
: treating all equally : not partial
an impartial judge
impartiality noun
impartially adverb

Legal Definition

impartial

adjective
im·​par·​tial im-ˈpär-shəl How to pronounce impartial (audio)
: not partial or biased : treating or affecting all equally
impartiality noun
impartially adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on impartial

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