complete

[kuhm-pleet]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR complete ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full: a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.

finished; ended; concluded: a complete orbit.

having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality: a complete scholar.

thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified: a complete victory; a complete mess.

Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included: The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”Compare simple(def 20).

Also completed. Football. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.

Logic. (of a set of axioms) such that every true proposition able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system is deducible from the set.Compare incomplete(def 4b).

Engineering. noting a determinate truss having the least number of members required to connect the panel points so as to form a system of triangles.Compare incomplete(def 3), redundant(def 5c).

(of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.

Mathematics.

of or relating to an algebraic system, as a field with an order relation defined on it, in which every set of elements of the system has a least upper bound.
of or relating to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set.Compare fundamental sequence.
(of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.

verb (used with object), com·plet·ed, com·plet·ing.

to make whole or entire: I need three more words to complete the puzzle.

to make perfect: His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.

to bring to an end; finish: Has he completed his new novel yet?

to consummate.

Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully: He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.

Origin of complete

1325–75; Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin complētus (past participle of complēre to fill up, fulfill, equivalent to com- com- + plē- fill + -tus past participle suffix

Related formscom·plet·a·ble, adjectivecom·plet·ed·ness, nouncom·plete·ly, adverbcom·plete·ness, nouncom·plet·er, nouncom·ple·tive, adjectivecom·ple·tive·ly, adverbhalf-com·plet·ed, adjectivepre·com·plete·ness, nounqua·si-com·plete, adjectivequa·si-com·plete·ly, adverbsub·com·plete, adjectivesub·com·plete·ly, adverbsub·com·plete·ness, nounun·com·plet·a·ble, adjectiveun·com·plete, adjectiveun·com·plete·ly, adverbun·com·plete·ness, nounun·com·plet·ed, adjectivewell-com·plet·ed, adjective

Synonyms for complete

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR complete ON THESAURUS.COM

1. unbroken, unimpaired, undivided. 3. developed. 11. conclude, consummate, perfect, accomplish, achieve.

Synonym study

1–3. Complete, entire, intact, perfect imply that there is no lack or defect, nor has any part been removed. Complete implies that a certain unit has all its parts, fully developed or perfected, and may apply to a process or purpose carried to fulfillment: a complete explanation. Entire means whole, having unbroken unity: an entire book. Intact implies retaining completeness and original condition: a package delivered intact. Perfect emphasizes not only completeness but also high quality and absence of defects or blemishes: a perfect diamond.

Antonyms for complete

1. partial. 3. defective.

Usage note

Occasionally there are objections to modifying complete with qualifiers like almost, more, most, nearly, and quite, because they suggest that complete is relative rather than absolute: an almost complete record; a more complete proposal; the most complete list available. However, such uses are fully standard and occur regularly in all varieties of spoken and written English. See also perfect, unique.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for completely

unconditionally, ultimately, perfectly, absolutely, fully, altogether, wholly, effectively, finally, utterly, thoroughly, quite, totally, comprehensively, competently, exclusively, extensively, unabridged, unanimously, conclusively

Examples from the Web for completely

Contemporary Examples of completely

Any plans to grow her exercise movement must, she insists, remain “completely organic.”
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze
Lizzie Crocker
January 9, 2015
Completed in 1953 and composed with standard line breaks and punctuation, the book was completely ignored upon submission.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago
Charles Shafaieh
January 5, 2015
Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding
Carla Hall
December 28, 2014
Then, right before last Christmas, she spent four months completely immersing herself in the role.
Julianne Moore Is Oscar Gold in ‘Still Alice’
Marlow Stern
December 24, 2014
He argues persuasively that the decision to launch the attack was completely contrary to reason and good military judgment.
Hitler’s Hail Mary
James A. Warren
December 20, 2014

Historical Examples of completely

Little Brown completely gave in, and we were obliged to leave him.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
My horse was completely knocked up, and I was glad to be able to give him a rest.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
The girl was completely mollified, though in much embarrassment.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Perhaps this was because she had been taken so completely by surprise.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
You always told me to keep my temper and I lost it completely.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter

British Dictionary definitions for completely

complete

adjective

having every necessary part or element; entire

ended; finished

(prenominal) thorough; absolutehe is a complete rogue

perfect in quality or kindhe is a complete scholar

(of a logical system) constituted such that a contradiction arises on the addition of any proposition that cannot be deduced from the axioms of the systemCompare consistent (def. 5)

(of flowers) having sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels

archaic expert or skilled; accomplished

verb (tr)

to make whole or perfect

to end; finish

(in land law) to pay any outstanding balance on a contract for the conveyance of land in exchange for the title deeds, so that the ownership of the land changes hands

American football (of a quarterback) to make a forward pass successfully

Derived Formscompletely, adverbcompleteness, nouncompleter, nouncompletion, nouncompletive, adjective

Word Origin for complete

C14: from Latin complētus, past participle of complēre to fill up; see complement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for completely

adv.

1520s, from complete (adj.) + -ly (2).

complete

adj.

late 14c., from Old French complet "full," or directly from Latin completus, past participle of complere "to fill up, complete the number of (a legion, etc.)," transferred to "to fill, to fulfill, to finish (a task)," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + plere "to fill" (see pleio-).

complete

late 14c.; see complete (adj.). Related: Completed; completing.