Master confusing words with ease
Partially vs. Partly
Partially
/ˈpɑːʃəli/Examples:
In others it only partially succeeds.Before him was the squid cut in two and partially devoured.Maybe he's partially deaf.
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Antonyms:
Partly
/ˈpɑːtli/Examples:
A man was killed and Major Ellerby was partly responsible.The French partly mobilized their army.She drew herself partly away and looked at him.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Both words involve the idea of something being not complete.
- Partially often implies that something is only partly finished or not entirely done, but it tends to relate more to measurable or quantifiable aspects.
- Partly suggests incompleteness or in part and is often used in more general contexts without focusing on measurable aspects.
- A helpful mnemonic could be: Partial stands for piece and Part lies in portion, which may help recall that partial can often involve quantifiable pieces while partly relates to informal or non-specific portions.
- Partially sounds somewhat formal, while partly is the simpler, more common term.
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