Meaning & use
impartial
Last updated
UK/ɪmˈpɑːʃl/
US/ɪmˈpɑːrʃl/
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Fair and not supporting one side over another.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: an impartial judge, she stayed impartial.
Patterns
- impartial between people
- impartial about something
A judge must be impartial.
The committee wants impartial advice.
He stayed impartial during the dispute.
Word forms
| comparative | more impartial |
|---|---|
| superlative | most impartial |
Common combinations
- impartial judge
- An impartial judge heard the case.
- impartial investigation
- They called for an impartial investigation.
- remain impartial
- Referees must remain impartial.
- impartial advice
- She offers impartial advice on loans.
Synonyms and how they differ
- neutral
- Means taking no side, often by staying out of a conflict altogether.
- unbiased
- Is the everyday word for free from favoritism.
- objective
- Stresses judging by facts rather than feelings.
- fair
- Is wider and can describe any treatment that is just.
Opposites
Word family
- impartiality noun
- fairness
- impartially adverb
- in a fair way
- partial adjective
- favoring one side, or incomplete
Commonly confused: impartial or disinterested?
impartial vs disinterested
Disinterested means having nothing to gain; uninterested means not interested.
Practice
Which person must be impartial?
Choose one answer.
A referee must treat both teams fairly. The others have reasons to favor one side.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “impartial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.