noun
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the condition or quality of being imperfect
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a fault or defect
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of imperfection
1350–1400; Middle English imperfeccio ( u ) n < Late Latin imperfectiōn- (stem of imperfectiō ) incompleteness. See im- 2, perfection
Explanation
An imperfection is a detail that makes something (or someone) less than perfect. A tiny crack in your otherwise flawless Ming vase might be its only imperfection. In addition to a blemish or defect, imperfection can also mean "the general state of not being perfect." For example, you could say, "Yeah, my dog is funny-looking, but her imperfection is part of what I love about her." The Latin imperfectus is at the root of imperfection, meaning "unfinished, incomplete, or immature," a combination of im-, "not," and perfectus, "finished or complete."
Vocabulary lists containing imperfection
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for May 20–May 26, 2023
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"The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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"To Helen Keller" and "Marked/Dusting"
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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.
See Examples For:
It’s always the imperfection of everything you’ve ever written, that’s what keeps you writing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
But he seemed unwilling to transform that imperfection into a constitutional defect in which counsel, in his view, still had “every opportunity” to make the point and did not.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026
Cinema is not a video game populated by avatars; it is a medium of imagination grounded in human imperfection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
"When they were out of style they were seen as an imperfection, now they're associated with the summer and an active lifestyle - they've become desirable," Jemma says.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2025
Each one of our steps leaves deep footprints in the browning sand, another imperfection along with the streaks of dirt, tufts of grass, and collections of mossy rocks on the beach.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Do we accept humans, or humanlike creations, as they are, for all of their imperfections?
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
"Practical quantum technologies face critical challenges from random fabrication imperfections and environmental noise," notes Adam Miranowicz, also of RQC.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
The chips with slight imperfections still function well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
"It doesn't matter what you post, someone always has something negative or not nice to say," said Cat, who wants to show her own "imperfections" to give other mums something to relate to.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
She complimented them on their flattering, carefully chosen outfits and waited as they had their hair fashioned, their eyebrows trained, and their slight imperfections masked by powder.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
