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Meaning & use

partial immunity

noun·Advanced

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UK/ˌpɑːʃl ɪˈmjuːnəti/
US/ˌpɑːrʃl ɪˈmjuːnəti/

Meanings

  1. noununcountablemedical

    A state in which the body has some, but not complete, protection against a disease.

    Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural: people develop partial immunity, not 'a partial immunity'.

    Patterns

    • partial immunity to something
    • develop partial immunity
    • give someone partial immunity

    People who caught the virus last year seem to have partial immunity to the new strain.

    The vaccine gives partial immunity, so you can still get sick, but usually much less seriously.

    Doctors say partial immunity may explain why this wave has been milder than the last one.

  2. noununcountablelegalformal

    A situation in which someone is protected from some legal or official consequences, but not all of them.

    Grammar: Also uncountable; often followed by 'from' to name what the person is protected from.

    Patterns

    • partial immunity from something
    • grant someone partial immunity
    • claim partial immunity

    The witness was offered partial immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying.

    Company lawyers argued that the firm should have partial immunity under the old rules.

    He refused to answer unless he was given partial immunity from any future charges.

Common combinations

develop partial immunity
Children who have had the illness once often develop partial immunity.
partial immunity to a disease
Travellers may have partial immunity to diseases common in their home region.
provide partial immunity
The new shot provides partial immunity rather than full protection.
partial immunity from prosecution
The deal gave him partial immunity from prosecution.
natural partial immunity
Natural partial immunity can fade within a few years.

Synonyms and how they differ

protection
A general word for being kept safe; it does not say whether the protection is complete or not, so it is vaguer than 'partial immunity'.
resistance
Often used for the body's ability to fight off infection; it can suggest a natural strength rather than a limited, measured level of protection.

Opposites

full immunity

Word family

immune adjective
Protected against a disease or not affected by something.
immunity noun
Complete protection against a disease or against legal action.
immunize verb
To give someone a vaccine so their body can fight a disease.
partially adverb
Partly; not completely.

Commonly confused: partial immunity or herd immunity? partial immunity or impunity?

partial immunity vs herd immunity

Herd immunity describes enough people in a community being protected that a disease stops spreading easily. Partial immunity describes one person's incomplete protection.

partial immunity vs impunity

Impunity means freedom from punishment, and it sounds similar to 'immunity'. Use 'partial immunity' for limited legal protection; use 'impunity' for escaping punishment altogether.

Practice

After recovering from the infection, she had ______ the virus, so a second case would probably be mild.

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