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

A winter storm that led to thousands of flight cancellations, as well as the partial government shutdown, which led to long lines at airports, could also be focal points for Delta’s call.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 5, 2026

Blend for body A partial purée — just enough to thicken—gives you richness without the need for long reduction.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

Sydney-based AI consultant Conyngham told AFP that eight-year-old Rosie's mast cell cancer is now in partial remission and her biggest tumour has shrunk dramatically.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Repatriating production would be only a partial solution.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

But I find a partial container of bloodred berry juice that will serve my needs.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• one-sided
• unfair