partiality
C1Formal
Definition
Meaning
Unfair bias in favour of one person or thing over another.
A particular liking or fondness for something; a tendency to favour something. It can denote both an unjust preference (negative) and a strong personal preference or fondness (more neutral).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word has a dual semantic field: 1) Bias, prejudice, favouritism (often negative, relating to unfair judgement). 2) Predilection, fondness, special liking (can be neutral or positive). Context is crucial to disambiguate.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage. The adjective 'partial' is more commonly used in both varieties to express bias.
Connotations
Equally formal in both varieties. The negative connotation (unfair bias) is slightly more dominant in modern usage than the neutral 'fondness' sense.
Frequency
Low frequency in casual speech in both UK and US; found more in formal writing, legal, academic, and political contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
partiality for [noun]partiality towards/toward [noun]partiality in [gerund/noun] (e.g., in judging)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done (relating to avoiding partiality).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might appear in discussions of corporate governance, e.g., 'The board must avoid any partiality in the selection process.'
Academic
Common in political science, law, sociology, and ethics papers discussing bias, e.g., 'The study examined judicial partiality based on demographic factors.'
Everyday
Very rare in casual conversation. If used, it's often in a slightly humorous or formal complaint, e.g., 'I accuse you of partiality towards your own chocolate cake!'
Technical
Used in legal contexts (e.g., 'apparent partiality of a tribunal') and in official codes of conduct.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The referee was accused of being partial.
American English
- The report was criticized as partial and incomplete.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She has a partiality for dark chocolate.
- The journalist was careful to avoid any appearance of partiality in her reporting.
- The committee's partiality towards internal candidates undermined the credibility of the hiring process.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a judge who is a PARTIAL (not whole/complete) judge because he favours one SIDE (party). PARTIALity is being on someone's SIDE unfairly.
Conceptual Metaphor
JUSTICE IS BALANCE / IMPARTIALITY IS STRAIGHTNESS. Partiality is therefore a TILT or a LEAN, upsetting the balance or bending the straight line of judgement.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation from Russian 'пристрастие' in all contexts, as 'partiality' is more formal and specific. For 'пристрастие к чему-либо' (addiction/hobby), use 'addiction to' or 'passion for'. For 'предвзятость', 'bias' or 'prejudice' are more common synonyms.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing it with 'impartiality' (its opposite). Using it in an informal context where 'favourite' or 'bias' would be more natural. Incorrect preposition: 'partiality of' (usually wrong), correct is 'partiality for/towards'. Thinking it only means 'a part of something'.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'partiality' used in its most common, formal sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is context-dependent. When related to fairness (e.g., in law, judgement), it is negative (synonymous with bias). When describing a personal taste ('a partiality for'), it is neutral or mildly positive.
They are close synonyms. 'Partiality' is slightly more formal and can imply a conscious inclination. 'Bias' is more general and can be unconscious. In many contexts, they are interchangeable.
Typically, it is used as an uncountable noun (e.g., 'show partiality'). However, in the 'fondness' sense, it can sometimes be treated as countable with a qualifier (e.g., 'He has one particular partiality—vintage cars').
'For' (indicating the object of fondness: 'partiality for sweets') and 'towards/toward' (indicating the target of bias: 'partiality towards the home team'). 'In' is used with the action/domain where bias occurs ('partiality in her decisions').