partial

adjective par·tial \ ˈpär-shəl \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

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

The Kings will also pay the city $2.50 for each individual game ticket sold and $1 per seat for group packages or partial season tickets.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "New details revealed about Kings’ deal to move G-League team to Stockton | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Apr. 2018
Last month, Lake County Circuit Judge Marissa McDermott issued a partial ruling that set the five-year statute of limitations — the period where the state could sue and collect the money — from May 2012 forward.

— meredith colias-pete, Post-Tribune, "State appeals ruling that limits its ability to collect on Munster lawsuit," 12 Apr. 2018
The property, which takes in partial ocean and canyon views, also comes with two parking spaces and, like the 200-plus residences in the community, access to the beaches of Paradise Cove and Point Dume.

— neal j. leitereg, latimes.com, "Actor Steven Weber is ready to give up his spot in Malibu's Paradise Cove," 11 Apr. 2018
To see a partial list of inventory, visit bbgardens.org.

— birmingham botanical gardens, AL.com, "Variety of native plants available at Spring Plant Sale," 9 Apr. 2018
Trying to create one is the prerogative of a person hampered by an extremely partial vision of a rural sublime.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Does Crafting Make People Happier?," 9 Apr. 2018
There are two banks of lockers for people to store belongings, training rooms with partial kitchens on each floor and a west-facing terrace on the top story featuring a built-in stainless steel barbecue.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego bets millions of dollars on plan to turn skydiving center into homeless hub," 9 Apr. 2018
As for the private quarters, there are four bedrooms, including an ensuite master, as well as three full baths and one partial that are charmingly period but could also use an update.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "’50s home with midcentury charm asks $439K," 6 Apr. 2018
Already partial to riding a board off the back of his brother's powerboat, Samuelson also partook in winter sports.

— CNN, "20 world-changing inventions from under 20s," 14 Mar. 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

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partial Synonyms

partial

noun

: 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

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

: 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 \

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.