partially

American  

[pahr-shuh-lee] / ˈpɑr ʃə li /

adverb

1. to some degree or in some way or aspect, but not fully or totally; incompletely.

   Season three of the sci-fi series would have taken place either partially or completely on Mars.

2. in a way that is biased or prejudiced in favor of one group, side, person, etc., over another.

   He did not judge partially, he said, but claimed to mete out justice equally to rich and poor alike.

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Other Word Forms

• nonpartially
  adverb
• overpartially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of partially

partial ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

Partially means part way, not complete. If you’ve partially completed a test when the bell rings, you better work faster to finish up next time! A part is a portion of something, not the whole thing. Similarly, the word partially refers to a part of something only. A partially brick house is not all brick. Anything that is partially true is only true to some degree, like if you tell someone you’re in a band, but really you just carry the guitars. This word means about the same as partly, and the opposite word would be wholly or entirely.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

partially

But exercise raises total daily energy expenditure, which can help to partially offset this.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Owner Danielle Moylan says their fund can be used by anyone to claim fully or partially the cost of a book or a magazine at her store.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Bogs, normally resilient to heat, have been burnt and partially destroyed, it added.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Concerns about how long the supercycle in memory-chip pricing can endure have been partially addressed by a 15% price hike announced this week and long-term agreements being signed with partners like Anthropic, for example.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

The eyes were still partially opened, as they had been.

From "The River" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• moderately
• partly
• somewhat