diff --git a/UPGRADE.md b/UPGRADE.md
index 5689b307bda..9e6c0cb2253 100644
--- a/UPGRADE.md
+++ b/UPGRADE.md
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ to find out.
 
 Use `Doctrine\ORM\Query\TokenType::T_*` instead.
 
+## PARTIAL DQL syntax is undeprecated for non-object hydration
+
+Use of the PARTIAL keyword is not deprecated anymore in DQL when used with a hydrator
+that is not creating entities, such as the ArrayHydrator.
+
 # Upgrade to 2.17
 
 ## Deprecate annotations classes for named queries
diff --git a/src/Query/Parser.php b/src/Query/Parser.php
index 949a8f4ebdd..eb7da7337ac 100644
--- a/src/Query/Parser.php
+++ b/src/Query/Parser.php
@@ -1844,11 +1844,13 @@ public function JoinAssociationDeclaration()
      */
     public function PartialObjectExpression()
     {
-        Deprecation::trigger(
-            'doctrine/orm',
-            'https://github.com/doctrine/orm/issues/8471',
-            'PARTIAL syntax in DQL is deprecated.'
-        );
+        if ($this->query->getHydrationMode() === Query::HYDRATE_OBJECT) {
+            Deprecation::trigger(
+                'doctrine/orm',
+                'https://github.com/doctrine/orm/issues/8471',
+                'PARTIAL syntax in DQL is deprecated for object hydration.'
+            );
+        }
 
         $this->match(TokenType::T_PARTIAL);
 
diff --git a/src/UnitOfWork.php b/src/UnitOfWork.php
index b6d509145bc..6875487fa5d 100644
--- a/src/UnitOfWork.php
+++ b/src/UnitOfWork.php
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 use Doctrine\ORM\Persisters\Entity\JoinedSubclassPersister;
 use Doctrine\ORM\Persisters\Entity\SingleTablePersister;
 use Doctrine\ORM\Proxy\InternalProxy;
+use Doctrine\ORM\Query\SqlWalker;
 use Doctrine\ORM\Utility\IdentifierFlattener;
 use Doctrine\Persistence\Mapping\RuntimeReflectionService;
 use Doctrine\Persistence\NotifyPropertyChanged;
@@ -2919,6 +2920,15 @@ private function newInstance(ClassMetadata $class)
      */
     public function createEntity($className, array $data, &$hints = [])
     {
+        if (isset($hints[SqlWalker::HINT_PARTIAL])) {
+            Deprecation::trigger(
+                'doctrine/orm',
+                'https://github.com/doctrine/orm/issues/8471',
+                'Partial Objects are deprecated for object hydration (here entity %s)',
+                $className
+            );
+        }
+
         $class = $this->em->getClassMetadata($className);
 
         $id     = $this->identifierFlattener->flattenIdentifier($class, $data);