partly incorrect

USAGE SUMMARY

"partly incorrect" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use this phrase to describe something that has some elements that are incorrect. For example, you could say: "My answer to the math problem was partly incorrect; I got some of the calculations wrong."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

O.K., this might be one: if you're going to make a character condescending, it's probably a good idea to make that character also at least partly incorrect in his or her views.

The New Yorker

BUSINESS DAY A quiz on Monday with an article about technology companies' efforts to integrate themselves into everyday life gave a partly incorrect answer to the question "What is a googol?" In addition to being the origin of the name Google, it is the number one with 100 zeros after it, or 10 raised to the power of 100 — not "one raised to the power of 100".

The New York Times

(Update, 27 August: This is partly incorrect, a source familiar with the matter informed ScienceInsider after this story had been posted; click here for an update).

Science Magazine

During the optimization we did not find any unexpected parameter values, which would have indicated that our model was partly incorrect or not complete enough.

Plosone

Although the latter often (but not always) returns more citations as it counts also those citations that are partly incorrect and for example include the wrong year or volume, a 'Cited reference search' can not be restricted to a particular keyword, which is essential for this analysis.

Plosone

partly correct term pair : An automatically aligned term pair which a manual evaluation has classified as partly incorrect.

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

This may be due partly to incorrect and/or incomplete clinical information, for which we have extended our data collection retrospectively to include all diagnoses available up to three years before the acute event.

BMC Health Services Research

The delay between the GP recording the diagnosis in the text and coding might be explained partly by incorrect entry of dates or by the administrative practices of the surgery.

BMJ Open

One friend who has struggled to get health care and will benefit hugely from Mr. Obama's health plan is indignant at Mr. Obama — partly because of incorrect scare stories he has heard about the health reform.

The New York Times

In this paper, the available data on total, elastic, annihilation and charge-exchange cross-sections at accelerator energies are carefully examined to show that the above conclusion is based partly due to incorrect parametrization of the data and partly by including charge-exchange cross-section as part of deep-inelastic process.

Advances in Space Research

Redon et al.[11] suggested that the significant overlap between SD and CNV is partly because of incorrect annotation of CNVs as SDs; i.e. the number of individuals sequences was not large enough to detect rare variants.

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "partly incorrect" to soften criticism, acknowledging that some elements are valid even if others are not.

Common error

Avoid using "partly incorrect" when the subject is overwhelmingly wrong; instead, opt for stronger terms like "mostly incorrect" or "wholly incorrect" to accurately reflect the extent of the error.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "partly incorrect" functions as an adverbial modifier describing the extent to which something is not accurate or correct. As Ludwig AI shows, it suggests a condition of partial error, where some aspects are right and others are wrong.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

35%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "partly incorrect" is a useful phrase for describing situations where something contains both correct and incorrect elements. As Ludwig AI confirms, its grammatical status is correct, and it is commonly used in science, news, and academic contexts. When using "partly incorrect", ensure to be specific about the inaccuracies to maintain clarity. Consider alternatives like "partially wrong" or "somewhat inaccurate" for nuanced expression. Avoid overstating the degree of error, and use the phrase appropriately based on the context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

partially wrong

Emphasizes the presence of errors but not complete inaccuracy.

somewhat inaccurate

Highlights a degree of imprecision or inexactness.

partially flawed

Focuses on the imperfections or defects present.

not entirely correct

A more explicit way of stating that something is less than fully accurate.

partly in error

Emphasizes the state of being mistaken to some extent.

slightly off

Suggests a minor deviation from accuracy.

imperfectly accurate

Indicates that the accuracy is compromised to some degree.

not quite right

A colloquial way to express that something is not completely correct.

marginally incorrect

Implies a very small degree of error.

approximating wrong

Suggests the subject is nearly wrong, not entirely.

FAQs

How can I use "partly incorrect" in a sentence?

You can use "partly incorrect" to describe something that contains both correct and incorrect elements. For example, "The calculation was "partly incorrect", but the initial premise was sound."

What phrases are similar to "partly incorrect"?

Alternatives to "partly incorrect" include "partially wrong", "somewhat inaccurate", or "not entirely correct". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "partly incorrect" or "partially incorrect"?

Both "partly incorrect" and "partially incorrect" are acceptable. "Partly" is generally considered more informal, while "partially" sounds more formal.

When should I use "partly incorrect" instead of "completely incorrect"?

Use "partly incorrect" when only some aspects are wrong, and "completely incorrect" when everything is wrong. For instance, if an answer has some correct steps but reaches the wrong conclusion, it's "partly incorrect". If there are no correct steps at all, it's completely incorrect.