partial

American  

[pahr-shuhl] / ˈpɑr ʃəl /

adjective

1. being such in part only; not total or general; incomplete: a partial payment of a debt.

   partial blindness;

   a partial payment of a debt.

   Synonyms:

   limited, imperfect, unfinished

   Antonyms:

   complete

2. biased or prejudiced in favor of a person, group, side, etc., over another, as in a controversy.

   a partial witness.

   Synonyms:

   unjust, unfair, one-sided

   Antonyms:

   fair, unbiased

3. pertaining to or affecting a part.

   Antonyms:

   complete

4. being a part; component; constituent.

5. Botany. secondary or subordinate.

   a partial umbel.

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noun

1. Bridge. part-score.

2. Acoustics, Music. partial tone.

idioms

1. partial to, having a liking or preference for; particularly fond of.

   I'm partial to chocolate cake.

partial British  

/ ˈpɑːʃəl /

adjective

1. relating to only a part; not general or complete

   a partial eclipse

2. biased

   a partial judge

3. having a particular liking (for)

4. botany

   1. constituting part of a larger structure

      a partial umbel

   2. used for only part of the life cycle of a plant

      a partial habitat

   3. (of a parasite) not exclusively parasitic

5. maths designating or relating to an operation in which only one of a set of independent variables is considered at a time

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noun

1. Also called: partial tone.  music acoustics any of the component tones of a single musical sound, including both those that belong to the harmonic series of the sound and those that do not

2. maths a partial derivative

Other Word Forms

• nonpartial adjective
• overpartial adjective
• overpartialness noun
• partially adverb
• partialness noun

Etymology

Origin of partial

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English parcial “biased, particular,” from Middle French, from Late Latin partiālis “pertaining to a part,” equivalent to Latin parti- (stem of pars ) “piece, portion” + -ālis adjective suffix; part, -al ¹

Example Sentences

Like most jeepneys, Princess runs on diesel, the cost of which has hit historic highs in the archipelago nation since the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's

The fare hikes and route cuts come as airports are already seeing hours-long security lines amid a partial government shutdown that has left Transportation Security Administration agents working without pay.

From MarketWatch

Air travelers have faced hourslong lines at some airports as a partial government shutdown has squeezed Transportation Security Administration officers working without paychecks—prompting more absences and resignations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Network Rail said all ScotRail and cross-border routes would be restored at Scotland's busiest railway station after a partial reopening last week.

From BBC

Travellers have faced hours-long airport security queues in recent days as the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security continues.

From BBC

Related Words

• one-sided
• unfair