defective

[dih-fek-tiv]

adjective

1. Sometimes defected having a defect or flaw; faulty; imperfect.

   a defective machine.

   Synonyms: deficient, incomplete
   Antonyms: complete, perfect

2. Psychology.,  characterized by subnormal intelligence or behavior.

3. Grammar.,  (of an inflected word or its inflection) lacking one or more of the inflected forms proper to most words of the same class in the language, as English must, which occurs only in the present tense.

noun

1. a defective person or thing.

defective

/ dɪˈfɛktɪv /

adjective

1. having a defect or flaw; imperfect; faulty

2. (of a person) below the usual standard or level, esp in intelligence

3. grammar (of a word) lacking the full range of inflections characteristic of its form class, as for example must, which has no past tense

Other Word Forms

• defectively adverb
• defectiveness noun
• nondefective adjective
• nondefectively adverb
• nondefectiveness noun
• predefective adjective
• undefective adjective
• undefectively adverb
• undefectiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of defective¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; from Late Latin dēfectīvus, equivalent to dēfectus ( defect ) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English defectif, from Middle French, from Late Latin, as above

Example Sentences

It argues, however, that Genasys’ system was “defective and unreasonably dangerous,” because of its predefined evacuation zones, which determine how alerts are rolled out onto cellphones and other technology in a given area.

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They found that the oxide in the reaction tended to form around defective metal sites in a highly selective way, a feature that played an essential role in stabilizing the catalyst.

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Further tests, including RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, and biochemical assays, confirmed that lysosomes in these cells were indeed defective.

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“Clearly, this robot is defective. She could be dangerous.”

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The approach strengthens the body's natural defenses instead of attacking the defective protein itself.

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Related Words

• abnormal 
• damaged www.thesaurus.com
• deficient 
• faulty 
• flawed 
• inadequate 
• insufficient 
• unhealthy 
• unsound