partial

adjective par·tial \ ˈpär-shəl \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Examples: partial in a Sentence

Definition of partial

1 : of or relating to a part rather than the whole : not general or total

a partial solution

a partial payment

2 : inclined to favor one party more than the other : biased

it is inconsistent with justice to be partial
—J. S. Mill

3 : markedly fond of someone or something —used with to

partial to pizza

She's partial to tall men with blond hair.

See partial defined for English-language learners

See partial defined for kids

Examples of partial in a Sentence

These plants prefer full sun or partial shade.
The partial ban on immigration has been lifted.
His latest play was deemed only a partial success by the critics.
a partial eclipse of the sun
He wears a partial denture.
She suggested a partial solution to the problem.
A referee must not be partial toward either team.

Recent Examples of partial from the Web

Located next door to Huss Brewing in Uptown Plaza, the Scheers’ classic chocolate chip will be the best seller, but Kendra is partial to her s’mores recipe with toasted graham crackers.

— gwen ashley walters, azcentral, "Edible cookie dough: Where in metro Phoenix to buy dough that's safe to eat," 13 July 2018
Only 19 states had granted women full or partial suffrage before 1920, when all U.S. women achieved full voting rights.

— olivia campbell, Smithsonian, "The Historical Struggle to Rid Socialism of Sexism," 12 July 2018
That's 300 times out of 300 times adhered to the constitution, adhered to text and approached every matter in a partial, fair and independent way.

— Fox News, "Leonard Leo on why Trump appointed Judge Kavanaugh," 10 July 2018
Three of the six proposals require either a full or partial demolition of the building, which was constructed in 1935.

— Detroit Free Press, "Decision on future of Ladywood property delayed, no timetable in sight," 6 July 2018
The figures do not represent partial payments made since that date.

— bill leukhardt, Courant Community, "Berlin Tax Deed Auction Targets Chronic Delinquent Properties," 13 July 2018
The partial eclipse will last even longer and is predicted to occur over the span of 3 hours and 55 minutes.

— Southern Living, "July's Blood Moon Will Be the Longest Lunar Eclipse in 100 Years," 11 July 2018
Insurance denials, partial payments, an inability to obtain patient information and patients without coverage forced the write-off, according to Fire-Rescue.

— lois k. solomon, Sun-Sentinel.com, "County fails to collect $12 million in ambulance fees," 10 July 2018
The United Nations had imposed an arms embargo and a partial travel ban on Eritrea, citing its disputes with neighboring countries.

— selam gebrekidan, New York Times, "Ethiopia and Eritrea Declare an End to Their War," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'partial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of partial

Middle English parcial, from Late Latin partialis, from Latin part-, pars part

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

partial Synonyms

partial

noun

Definition of partial

: overtone 1a

Recent Examples of partial from the Web

We time-stretched the sound of the woodblock and zoomed into the partials and spectra of a single woodblock stroke — just a millisecond of sound — and opened it up and basically unfolded the whole piece from there.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "Mouse on Mars at M.I.T.: A Symposium Becomes a Dance Party," 12 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of partial

see ¹partial

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1873

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

PARTIAL Defined for English Language Learners

partial

adjective

Definition of partial for English Language Learners

: not complete or total
: tending to treat one person, group, or thing better than another

PARTIAL Defined for Kids

partial

adjective par·tial \ ˈpär-shəl \

Definition of partial for Students

1 : not complete

a partial success

a partial eclipse

2 : favoring one side of a question over another

I'm too partial to be a fair judge.

3 : fond or too fond of someone or something

Grandma is partial to ice cream sodas.

—

partially

\ˈpär-shə-lē\ adverb

Word Root of partial

The Latin word pars, meaning “part,” and its form partis give us the root part. Words from the Latin pars have something to do with a part, section, or portion. To participate is to take part in some activity. Anything partial involves only part of something. A particle is a tiny bit or portion of something. It is easy to see that part itself also comes directly from pars in both form and meaning.