complete
Americanadjective
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having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full.
a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.
- Synonyms:
- unbroken
- Antonyms:
- partial
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a complete orbit.
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having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality.
a complete scholar.
- Antonyms:
- defective
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thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified.
a complete victory;
a complete mess.
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Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included.
The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”
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Football. Also completed. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.
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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.
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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.
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(of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.
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Mathematics.
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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.
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of or relating to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set.
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(of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.
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verb (used with object)
-
to make whole or entire.
I need three more words to complete the puzzle.
- Synonyms:
- close, conclude, terminate, achieve, accomplish, perfect, consummate
-
to make perfect.
His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.
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to bring to an end; finish.
Has he completed his new novel yet?
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to consummate.
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Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully.
He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.
adjective
-
having every necessary part or element; entire
-
ended; finished
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(prenominal) thorough; absolute
he is a complete rogue
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perfect in quality or kind
he is a complete scholar
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(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 system Compare consistent
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(of flowers) having sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels
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archaic expert or skilled; accomplished
verb
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to make whole or perfect
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to end; finish
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(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
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American football (of a quarterback) to make a forward pass successfully
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
- completable adjective
- completedness noun
- completely adverb
- completeness noun
- completer noun
- completion noun
- completive adjective
- completively adverb
- half-completed adjective
- precompleteness noun
- quasi-complete adjective
- subcomplete adjective
- subcompleteness noun
- uncompletable adjective
- uncomplete adjective
- uncompleted adjective
- uncompleteness noun
- well-completed adjective
Etymology
Origin of complete
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French or directly from Latin complētus (past participle of complēre “to fill up, fulfill,” equivalent to com- com- + plē- fill + -tus past participle suffix
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.
Describing her own music as “whimsical,” she typically opts for a preppy, ’90s-inspired look to complete the vibe and identifies as a miniskirt warrior.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
An amputee travelling across the UK using his bus pass says he is determined to complete a charity challenge, after his home was broken into mid-route.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
With so many sophisticated parts available at home, Chinese makers of complete humanoid robots are able to get to market faster.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
That meant the lack of complete BLS records in February reflected an especially hard hit to the overall projections.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026
“I will sit in the front,” insisted Magic, “because I want to experience the complete thrill of the ride! Are you ready, Duane?”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
