incomplete

American  

[in-kuhm-pleet] / ˌɪn kəmˈplit /

adjective

1. not complete; lacking some part.

   Synonyms:

   fragmentary , partial , unfinished

2. Football.  (of a forward pass) not completed; not caught by a receiver.

3. Engineering.  noting a truss the panel points of which are not entirely connected so as to form a system of triangles.

4. Logic, Philosophy.

   1. (of an expression or symbol) meaningful only in a specific context.

   2. (of a set of axioms) such that there is at least one true proposition (able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system) that is not deducible from the set.

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noun

1. Education.  a temporary grade indicating that a student has not fulfilled one or more of the essential requirements for a course.

   If I don't hand in my term paper for last semester's English course, the professor is going to change my incomplete to an F.

incomplete British  

/ ˌɪnkəmˈpliːt /

adjective

1. not complete or finished

2. not completely developed; imperfect

3. logic

   1. (of a formal theory) not so constructed that the addition of a non-theorem to the axioms renders it inconsistent

   2. (of an expression) not having a reference of its own but requiring completion by another expression

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Other Word Forms

• incompletely adverb
• incompleteness noun
• subincomplete adjective

Etymology

Origin of incomplete

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word incomplētus. See in- ³, complete

Example Sentences

Through all of this a partial picture emerges of Leman, but it remains always, to both Ms. Ypi and her readers, maddeningly incomplete.

From The Wall Street Journal

He didn’t say whether the analysis included any evidence, such as autopsies or medical records, other than the reports, which can be incorrect or incomplete.

From The Wall Street Journal

For many people, a glass of beer feels incomplete without a thick, creamy layer of foam resting on top.

From Science Daily

What she did not know was that FNA tests are not considered best practice for breast biopsies, because they can produce inadequate samples, and lead to the risk of missed, incomplete or delayed diagnoses.

From BBC

The Justice Department hasn’t disclosed its redaction process and is likely working from an incomplete list of victims, according to the letter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• deficient
• fragmentary
• inadequate
• insufficient
• lacking
• partial
• sketchy