incomplete
Americanadjective
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not complete; lacking some part.
- Synonyms:
- fragmentary, partial, unfinished
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Football. (of a forward pass) not completed; not caught by a receiver.
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Engineering. noting a truss the panel points of which are not entirely connected so as to form a system of triangles.
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Logic, Philosophy.
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(of an expression or symbol) meaningful only in a specific context.
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(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
adjective
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not complete or finished
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not completely developed; imperfect
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logic
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(of a formal theory) not so constructed that the addition of a non-theorem to the axioms renders it inconsistent
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(of an expression) not having a reference of its own but requiring completion by another expression
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of incomplete
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word incomplētus. See in- 3, complete
Explanation
Something incomplete is missing a part or unfinished. Incomplete things are not whole. A football pass that falls short is incomplete and so is an outfit without a shirt. A bridge to nowhere? Incomplete. Incomplete describes things that are missing something. A chess set with a lost piece is incomplete. Incomplete also means “unfinished,” like that incomplete bridge to nowhere. People often feel their lives are incomplete until they do something like have a family or make a certain amount of money. You might get an incomplete grade for a class if your teacher is going to let you make up work you missed. When something's incomplete, part of that thing is missing or undone
Vocabulary lists containing incomplete
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: in-, im-, il-, ir-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Westminster City Council will have to inspect the wall and if the removal is deemed incomplete, another cleaning method will have to be used.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
In many ways, “Becoming George” serves as a thoroughgoing and persuasive amendment to the incomplete legacy that has tailed Sand for so long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
He described it from a single, incomplete, fragile, but giant, vertebra.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
His attorneys have called on the government to apologize, arguing he was wrongfully prosecuted based on incomplete information.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
You start with an incomplete roster of facts, characterized by their ambiguity; often the problem consists of discovering the connections between unrelated pieces of information.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
