The meaning of PARTIAL is of or relating to a part rather than the whole : not general or total. How to use partial in a sentence.

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.

partial adjective (UNFAIR) influenced by the fact that you personally prefer or approve of something, so that you do not judge fairly:

Definition of partial adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

especially fond of: is partial to vanilla ice cream. par•ti•al•i•ty /pɑrʃiˈælɪti/ n. [uncountable] showed partiality in hiring his friend's son for the position.

If you describe something as partial, you're usually saying it's just part of the whole, or incomplete. Say someone asks how you started your band and you say, "I bought a guitar." That would be …

Someone who is partial supports a particular person or thing, for example in a competition or dispute, instead of being completely fair. I might be accused of being partial.

PARTIAL meaning: 1 : not complete or total; 2 : tending to treat one person, group, or thing better than another

Nov 1, 2025 · partial (comparative more partial, superlative most partial) Existing as a part or portion; incomplete.

partial, adj. & n. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary