partial

adjective

par·tial | \ ˈpär-shəl

Definition of partial

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 pizzaShe's partial to tall men with blond hair.

partial

noun

Definition of partial (Entry 2 of 2)

: overtone sense 1a

Other Words from partial Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about partial

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Examples of partial in a Sentence

Adjective

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 on the Web: Adjective

What all this means is that America may still have the chance to turn Iraq into a muddled and partial success that cost far too much, rather than — like Vietnam — a decisive and even more costly defeat. — Hal Brands, National Review, "Lessons from the Iraq War," 20 June 2019 Virginia’s state library has several dozen, including, for example, a partial one from 1764 for Buckingham County. — Karin Wulf, Smithsonian, "This Long-Ignored Document, Written by George Washington, Lays Bare the Legal Power of Geneaology," 18 June 2019 Why bother going out to watch the disjointed, partial, live version? — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "Inside the Cultish Dreamworld of Augusta National," 14 June 2019 Kotey and Elsheikh's confessions, partial or full, come as their fates remain unclear, despite dozens of other ISIS members being sent to their home countries for trial. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, "One of the ISIS 'Beatles' says he's sorry. Will confessions save these fighters from death row?," 10 June 2019 The royal is reportedly partial to a glass of white wine in the evenings, according to Vanity Fair and Daily Mail. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Kate Middleton's Daily Diet Sounds Healthy and Delicious," 28 May 2019 The three books under review offer a useful, if partial, introduction to this scholarly divide. — James Oakes, The New York Review of Books, "The Great Divide," 23 May 2019 Biking advocates, for example, recently protested the removal and partial removal of two bike lanes in the city. — Brittany Brown, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore courting professional cycling race for Inner Harbor," 7 June 2019 The museum is being renovated — it was delayed by the 35-day partial government shutdown in the winter — and is aiming to be done by the end of July. — Catharine Hamm, latimes.com, "Escapes: On D-day, we remember the man who bore the weight of the world," 6 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

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

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.