The phrase "are partially distinct" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe two or more items that have some differences but also share some similarities.
Example: "The two theories are partially distinct, as they address different aspects of the phenomenon while overlapping in certain areas."
Alternatives: "are somewhat different" or "are not entirely the same."
Anthropologists' interests in markets, therefore, are partially distinct from – although certainly overlapping with – the concerns of economists.
Intermodal selective attention enhances processing in neuronal populations that are partially distinct from those activated by unattended stimuli.
Evidence from the neuropsychological and neuroimaging literature suggests that the specific brain structures involved in egocentric mental rotation are partially distinct from those involved with object-centered rotation.
Men are often perceived to be higher status than women [38], [39], women and men may use partially distinct dominance cues in their social interactions [40], and the way the status cues of men and women are processed are partially distinct as well [29], [41].
Such analyses suggest that the molecular mechanisms producing indels are partially distinct from one another, despite some overlap (Ball et al. 2005; Kvikstad et al. 2007, 2009; Messer and Arndt 2007; Tanay and Siggia 2008).
Such analyses suggest that the molecular mechanisms producing insertions and deletions are partially distinct from one another, despite some overlap (Ball et al. 2005; Kvikstad et al. 2007, 2009; Messer and Arndt 2007; Tanay and Siggia 2008; Nam and Ellegren 2012).
The genetic variants associated with faster enlargement were partially distinct from those associated with risk of incident GA.
However, the binding may be partially distinct from each other, which could result in the distinct inhibition in the presence of l-fucose or l-fructose.
Moreover, the pattern of subiculum connectivity with al-EC and pm-EC was partially distinct from its connectivity with PRC and PHC.
Under our experimental condition, NPA blocks PIN2 action at the plasma membrane, but does not diminish PIN5 and PILS5 function at the ER, indicating that auxin transport mechanisms at the plasma membrane and at the ER could be partially distinct.
A key question concerns whether etiological contributors are shared across the broad range of disruptive psychopathology or are partially or largely distinct.
