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Synonyms

impartial

American  
[im-pahr-shuhl] / ɪmˈpɑr ʃəl /

adjective

  1. not partial or biased; fair; just.

    an impartial judge.

    Synonyms:
    equitable, unprejudiced, unbiased
    Antonyms:
    biased

impartial British  
/ ɪmˈpɑːʃəl /

adjective

  1. not prejudiced towards or against any particular side or party; fair; unbiased

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See fair 1.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of impartial

First recorded in 1585–95; im- 2 + partial

Explanation

If you're in a contest, you'd better hope the judges are impartial. That means that they aren't biased toward one competitor over another. If you’re partial to the color green, you love green and wear it all the time. If you’re impartial to colors, you don’t care what color you wear. To be impartial is to be objective, so you don’t mind one way or another how something is going to turn out. It’s important for jurors to be impartial when reaching a verdict, rather than allowing biases and preconceptions affect their judgment.

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Vocabulary lists containing impartial

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.

See Examples For:

That doesn’t mean you can’t pave the way in an impartial manner by asking the attorney to address the issues themselves.

From MarketWatch Aug. 20, 2026

One requires news reports to be accurate and impartial.

From Barron's Aug. 10, 2026

In this era of deglobalization, trade imbalances and tariffs, forex manipulation and geopolitical realignment, an impartial analysis of a currency’s real value is more important than ever.

From MarketWatch Jul. 31, 2026

“In the end, it felt like in working so hard to be impartial, we guaranteed that Hunter would meet the worst possible legal fate,” she writes.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 1, 2026

“Who’s this impartial judge who’s going to decide who the champions are?” said Harry.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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