partly
Americanadverb
adverb
Usage
Partly and partially are to some extent interchangeable, but partly should be used when referring to a part or parts of something: the building is partly (not partially ) of stone, while partially is preferred for the meaning to some extent: his mother is partially (not partly ) sighted
Etymology
Origin of partly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mastro agreed that landlords’ operating income increased based on the board’s calculation, though he said that figure is artificially low, partly because it includes revenue from market-rate apartments in the same buildings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Hiring was unusually weak during the summer, but it may partly reflect changing seasonal patterns of when companies create new jobs.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
They are likely to keep rising, partly due to intensifying borrowing demand from AI startups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Michael Sanft, Davis's defense attorney, characterized his client's confessions as fiction and lies partly designed to promote his book.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
He likes colors—he calls them “hues”—so he might wear lavender and chartreuse together, partly for fashion, but I swear he dresses funky so we can have new vocabulary words.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
