defective

[ dih-fek-tiv ]
/ dɪˈfɛk tɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR defective ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having a defect or flaw; faulty; imperfect: a defective machine.
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

a defective person or thing.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THESE WORDS FROM BROWN GIRL DREAMING!

Visualize yourself passing this quiz on words from Jacqueline Woodson’s exquisite verse novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and then take the quiz to prove you can do it! (Because you can.)
Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of defective

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

OTHER WORDS FROM defective

Words nearby defective

defeature, defecate, defect, defectible, defection, defective, defective bacteriophage, defective virus, defector, defederalize, defence
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to defective

damaged, unhealthy, deficient, inadequate, abnormal, unsound, insufficient, faulty, flawed, amiss, impaired, imperfect, incomplete, injured, lacking, out of order, poor, sick, unfinished, wanting

Example sentences from the Web for defective

British Dictionary definitions for defective

defective
/ (dɪˈfɛktɪv) /

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

Derived forms of defective

defectively, adverbdefectiveness, noun
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

Medical definitions for defective

defective
[ dĭ-fĕk′tĭv ]

n.

Having an imperfection or malformation.
Lacking or deficient in some physical or mental function.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.