Word: impartial (adjective)

Associations

"Impartial" means fair and not taking sides. When someone is impartial, they do not favor one person or group over another. This word is often used when talking about judges, referees, or anyone who must be fair in making decisions.

• The judge must be impartial to ensure a fair trial. Here, impartial means the judge does not support either side.
• A referee should be impartial during a sports game. This means the referee treats both teams equally.
• Teachers should be impartial when grading exams. This means they do not give better grades to their favorite students.

A well-known synonym is "neutral." The difference is that "neutral" often means not involved or not taking part, while "impartial" focuses more on fairness and not favoring one side.

Substitution

Other words you can use instead of "impartial" include:

• fair (emphasizes justice and equality)
• unbiased (focuses on not having a personal opinion)
• neutral (means not taking sides, but may be less active in decision-making)

Using "fair" instead of "impartial" usually makes the meaning clearer and more common in everyday speech.

Deconstruction

The word "impartial" comes from:

• prefix "im-" meaning "not"
• root "partial" meaning "favoring one side" So, "impartial" literally means "not partial" or "not favoring one side." This helps you remember it means fair and unbiased.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where it is important for someone to be impartial?
• Have you ever felt someone was not impartial in a decision about you?
• How can being impartial help solve conflicts?