What does “partial” mean?
- 1
adjectivenot complete; only part of something
The project was only a partial success.
- 2
adjectiveunfairly supporting one side
The referee was accused of being partial.
- 3
adjectiveliking something very much, used as “partial to”
I’m rather partial to chocolate cake.
Partial at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈpɑrʃəl/ · PAR-shul
How to use “partial” correctly
“Partial” can mean biased, but “impartial” means fair. “Partial to” (= fond of) is slightly old-fashioned and humorous.
Common phrases with “partial”
- partial success
- partial refund
- partial to
- partial eclipse
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- incomplete
- biased
- fond of
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- complete
- impartial
Word family
- partially
- partiality
- impartial
“partial” is on these word lists
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