part+ial

• partroot from Latin pars, partis, meaning a piece, share, or division
• ialadjective-forming suffix meaning relating to or characterized by

part + ial = partial: something connected with only a part, not the whole; from Old French parcial and Medieval Latin partialis, from Latin pars, partis, meaning part

part

a piece, section, or share of something

partiallypartially

in an incomplete way or only to some degree

partialitypartiality

unfair preference or bias; sometimes a strong liking

impartialimpartial

fair and not favoring one side

partitionpartition

a division or the act of dividing something into parts

socialsocial

relating to society or to interaction with other people

racialracial

relating to race or racial groups

financialfinancial

relating to money or finance

essentialessential

necessary or extremely important

• The stress is on the first syllable: PAR-shəl.
• In US English, the r is pronounced; in standard UK English, it is normally not pronounced unless linking to a following vowel.
• The letters tial represent /ʃəl/, not /tiəl/.
• The final syllable is weak and sounds like “shuhl,” with a schwa.

1. partial solutionMeaning 1

   a solution that solves only part of a problem

   The report offers a partial solution to the housing shortage.

2. partial successMeaning 1

   success that is incomplete or limited

   The campaign was a partial success.

3. partial refundMeaning 1

   money returned for only part of a purchase or service

   We received a partial refund after the flight was delayed.

4. partial eclipseMeaning 1

   an eclipse in which only part of the sun or moon is covered

   A partial eclipse will be visible in the afternoon.

5. be partial toward somebodyMeaning 2

   be unfairly favorable to a person or side

   The judge was partial toward the defendant.

6. partial to somethingMeaning 3

   like or prefer something, in a formal or old-fashioned style

   My father is partial to strong coffee.

1. Meaning 1B2not complete or whole; existing or happening only in part

   The committee approved a partial refund after the service was canceled halfway through the month.

   Only some of the money was returned.

2. Meaning 1B2not complete or whole; existing or happening only in part

   This is only a partial solution to the problem.

   It helps, but it does not solve everything.

3. Meaning 2B2unfairly favoring one person, group, or side; biased

   The referee was accused of being partial toward the home team.

   The referee seemed unfairly favorable to one side.

4. Meaning 3C2liking someone or something, usually in the formal or old-fashioned pattern partial to

   I’m quite partial to dark chocolate.

   The speaker likes dark chocolate; this expression is formal or old-fashioned.

• The incomplete sense commonly comes before a noun, as in partial payment, but it can also follow be, as in The success was partial.
• The pattern partial to is formal or old-fashioned and is different from the biased sense of partial.
• In formal writing, partial can mean biased, while impartial means neutral and fair.
• The adverb forms are partly and partially, not partial.

partly

Partly is an adverb meaning to some degree; partial is an adjective, as in partly complete but a partial explanation.

impartial

Impartial means fair and neutral; it is the opposite of partial in the biased sense.

biased

Biased means unfairly influenced; partial can also mean this, but it can additionally mean incomplete or fond of something.

partiality

Partiality is the noun for bias or preference; partial is the adjective.