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

Keep scrolling for more

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

Getty Images As of this writing, this year's partial shutdown of the federal government is the longest shutdown in U.S. history, having stretched out for over a month. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "How To Donate to the People Hit Hardest by the Government Shutdown," 24 Jan. 2019 Among the 800,000 federal employees deprived of a paycheck during the government's partial shutdown, aviation workers have warned that their lack of compensation imperils the safety of anyone boarding a U.S. commercial flight. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Flight Attendants Union President: Government Shutdown Is 'Disaster' for Aviation Safety," 24 Jan. 2019 But, like for the nearly one million federal employees working without pay or being furloughed, the partial government shutdown has necessitated a change of plans. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Donald Trump and Melania Won't Spend Christmas at Mar-a-Lago for the First Time in Years," 24 Dec. 2018 Now her maintenance is relatively easy — usually foil, a partial highlight, which takes care of the hair in her crown area. — Marci Robin, Allure, "This Super-Long Ombré Hair Transformation Is a Feat of Color-Correction Magic," 13 Nov. 2018 Soon after the scheme was launched, the spread between rates on new mortgages and wholesale rates narrowed by 0.6 percentage point, so at least a partial reversal is probable now the scheme has ended. — Samuel Tombs, WSJ, "Britain’s New Housing Dilemma," 7 Mar. 2018 If none of these treatments prove effective, a hysterectomy—partial or total—is typically considered as a necessary option. — Andrea Park, SELF, "Lena Dunham Celebrates the 9-Month Anniversary of Her Hysterectomy With a Heartfelt Instagram Post," 15 Aug. 2018 But dozens of those victories were partial or pyrrhic. — New York Times, "Behind Trump’s Plan to Overhaul the Government: Scaling Back the Safety Net," 21 June 2018 Headstones contain partial or misspelled names, wrong dates of death, and missing birth dates. — Jeff Gammage, Philly.com, "The last trip home for boy torn from his family in another century," 20 June 2018

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.