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

“Language as Liberation” comprises the rough, incomplete outlines for Morrison’s lectures, with bracketed page citations for the novels under discussion.

From The Wall Street Journal

Today, research suggests his sensory framework may be just as incomplete.

From Science Daily

After Morton started the third quarter with four more incomplete passes and a sack, he was replaced by Norris Weese, who completed four of 10 passes for 22 yards.

From Los Angeles Times

According to the authors, climate models often simplify or exclude these organisms, which can lead to an incomplete picture of how the ocean responds to climate change.

From Science Daily

Determining the age of Early and Middle Pleistocene fossils is often difficult because rock layers are incomplete or dating methods come with large uncertainties.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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