Partial definition

pärshəl
partials
See word origin
Frequency:
Having a particular liking or fondness for something or someone.

Partial to spicy food.

adjective
18
5
Favoring one person or side over another or others; biased or prejudiced.

A decision that was partial to the plaintiff.

adjective
9
6
A partial artificial denture.
noun
7
4
Favoring one person, faction, etc. more than another; biased; prejudiced.
adjective
3
2
Of, being, or affecting only a part; not complete or total.
adjective
3
2
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(mathematics) A partial derivative: a derivative with respect to one independent variable of a function in multiple variables.
noun
1
0
(dentistry) Dentures that replace only some of the natural teeth.
noun
1
0
(mathematics) Of or being operations or sequences of operations, such as differentiation and integration, when applied to only one of several variables at a time.
adjective
2
2
noun
2
2
The definition of partial is something that is incomplete or part of a whole, or to describe something for which you have a liking.

The first chapter of a long book is an example of a partial sample of the book.

When you like fresh flowers, this is an example of a situation where you are partial to fresh flowers.

adjective
1
1
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(mathematics) A partial derivative.
noun
1
1
Existing as a part or portion; incomplete.

So far, I have only pieced together a partial account of the incident.

adjective
1
1
(computer science) Describing a property that holds only when an algorithm terminates.

It's easy to prove partial correctness, but it's not obvious that it is also totally correct.

adjective
1
1
(music) An overtone or harmonic.
noun
1
1
Biased in favor of a person, side, or point of view, especially when dealing with a competition or dispute.

The referee is blatantly partial!

adjective
0
0
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Of, relating to, being, or affecting only a part; not total; incomplete.

The plan calls for partial deployment of missiles. The police have only a partial description of the suspect.

adjective
1
2
partial to
  • fond of; having a liking for
idiom
2
0

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
partial
Plural:
partials

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Origin of partial

  • Middle English parcial from Old French from Late Latin partiālis from Latin pars part- part part

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Old French parcial (“biased or particular"), from Late Latin partialis (“of or pertaining to a part"), from Latin pars (“part").

    From Wiktionary

Partial Sentence Examples

  • Such cell-fusions may be partial or complete.

  • The offer was too partial and came too late.

  • The hybridization data are consistent with partial sequence analysis of the AC1 gene and the capsid protein gene.

  • Associated action and partial union among these towns can be traced back to the 13th century.

  • A massive underwater land slump or partial subsidence suddenly left the highly pressurized magma chamber wide open.

More sentences

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Also Mentioned In

Words near partial in the Dictionary