Definition

Noun: 1. The state or quality of being partial; incompleteness: The condition of existing as only a part of a whole, not being total or complete. 2. Bias, favoritism: The state of being influenced by or showing favor towards one side over another; lack of impartiality.

Usage

• Partialness is a formal noun used to describe either the quality of being incomplete or the quality of being biased.
• It is often used in academic, legal, or critical discussions.
• When referring to bias, it is frequently used with prepositions like or (e.g., "the partialness of the judge").

Examples

• Referring to incompleteness:
  • The partialness of the archaeological record makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.
  • We must acknowledge the partialness of our understanding of the universe.
• Referring to bias:
  • The investigation was criticized for the partialness of its findings.
  • A good journalist must strive to avoid any partialness in their reporting.

Advanced Usage

• "partialness to/towards": This construction explicitly indicates the target of the bias.
  • The committee was accused of partialness towards applicants from prestigious universities.

Variants and Related Words

• Partial (adjective):
  • Existing only in part; incomplete. (e.g., a partial solution)
  • Favoring one side over another; biased. (e.g., a partial judge)
• Partially (adverb): To some extent; not completely. (e.g., )
• Impartiality (noun): The opposite state of being fair and unbiased.

Synonyms

• For incompleteness: Incompleteness, fragmentariness, limitedness.
• For bias: Bias, prejudice, favoritism, partisanship, one-sidedness.

Antonyms

• For incompleteness: Completeness, totality, wholeness.
• For bias: Impartiality, neutrality, objectivity, fairness.

Noun

1. the state of being only a part; not total; incomplete