defective
Americanadjective
-
Sometimes defected having a defect or flaw; faulty; imperfect.
a defective machine.
- Synonyms:
- deficient, incomplete
-
Psychology. characterized by subnormal intelligence or behavior.
-
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
adjective
-
having a defect or flaw; imperfect; faulty
-
(of a person) below the usual standard or level, esp in intelligence
-
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
Etymology
Origin of defective
First recorded in 1375–1425; from Late Latin dēfectīvus, equivalent to dēfectus ( see defect) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English defectif, from Middle French, from Late Latin, as above
Explanation
Something that's defective doesn't work quite right, because it's damaged in some way. Your defective car probably won't make it all the way to California from New York. Defective things are broken or flawed. A defective blender won't mix your morning smoothie the way you want it to, and a defective law doesn't serve the people it's meant to protect. A very old-fashioned meaning of defective, which is considered quite offensive today, is "mentally ill" or "mentally handicapped." The Late Latin root is defectivus, "to fail, revolt, or desert."
Vocabulary lists containing defective
Geography and World Regions
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Hello, Universe
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CTE Construction ("Core Curriculum: Introductory Craft Skills,") Vocabulary from Module One
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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.
Spirit had another recent problem that wasn’t its fault: the defective engines on the Airbus planes.
From Slate • May 5, 2026
In her vision, Warhol’s Factory is a literal assembly line, where actors and artists come to be molded and assembled into products, only to be cast out when they’re deemed defective.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
Reading a summary of their ruling, judges said the jurors at trial had "not been properly directed" and the directions given to them on how to reach a verdict were "defective".
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Instead of arguing about what users posted, lawyers for the California plaintiff argued that the platforms themselves are defective products.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Someone sent up a flare that was defective.
From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
