imperfect

[ im-pur-fikt ]

/ ɪmˈpɜr fɪkt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: imperfect / imperfectly on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by defects or weaknesses: imperfect vision.

not perfect; lacking completeness: imperfect knowledge.

Grammar. noting action or state still in process at some temporal point of reference, particularly in the past.

Law. being without legal effect or support; unenforceable.

Botany. (of a flower) diclinous.

Music. of or relating to the interval of a major or minor third or sixth.Compare perfect (def. 13a).

noun Grammar.

the imperfect tense.

another verb formation or construction with imperfect meaning.

a form in the imperfect, as Latin portābam, “I was carrying.”

OTHER WORDS FOR imperfect

1 defective, faulty.

2 incomplete, underdeveloped; immature.

See synonyms for imperfect on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR imperfect

2 complete, developed.

See antonyms for imperfect on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of imperfect

First recorded in1300–50; from Latin imperfectus “unfinished” (see im-², perfect); replacing Middle English imparfit, from Middle French imparfait, from Latin, as above

OTHER WORDS FROM imperfect

im·per·fect·ly, adverbim·per·fect·ness, noun

Words nearby imperfect

imperceptible, imperception, imperceptive, impercipient, imperf., imperfect, imperfect competition, imperfect flower, imperfect fungus, imperfectible, imperfection

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use imperfect in a sentence

“Poker is the main benchmark and challenge program for games of imperfect information,” Sandholm told me on a warm spring afternoon in 2018, when we met in his offices in Pittsburgh.
The Deck Is Not Rigged: Poker and the Limits of AI|Maria Konnikova|August 7, 2020|Singularity Hub
Apple’s counter to this is its SKAdNetwork, an imperfect application programming interface it launched two years ago, that developers can use to get basic data about their in-app ad campaign performance.
Ad tech is in denial about Apple’s new app privacy rule|Lara O'Reilly|July 14, 2020|Digiday
Tired of technology that isolates us from one another, people are seeking out and placing greater value on physical, authentic, and imperfect experiences delivered by humans.
4 Non-Obvious Trends That Matter During This Pandemic|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|May 25, 2020|Singularity Hub
Layering imperfect interventions can, in a similar way, slow down transmission.
How Do You Stay Safe Now That States Are Reopening? An Expert Explains How To Assess Risk When Reconnecting With Friends And Family|LGBTQ-Editor|May 18, 2020|No Straight News

The way that I would view it is that the world is imperfect because we haven’t used science in policy making.
Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet) (Ep. 405)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 13, 2020|Freakonomics
Even an imperfect messenger is capable of delivering news everyone needs to hear.
Bill Cosby Foe Hannibal Buress Joked About Date Rape|Rich Goldstein|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though the grand jury is an imperfect forum for resolving social issues, it works very well in finding truth.
There’s No Conspiracy in Ferguson’s Secret Jury|Paul Callan|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a fear growing inside of me that my imperfect bruised college experience was a reflection of my own damaged self.
Freshman Year Sucks—and That’s OK|Eleanor Hyun|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem was that, at least in Iowa, this model was imperfect.
Did a Flawed Computer Model Sabotage the Democrats?|Ben Jacobs|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Himmler, for example, wanted to drop the imperfect British pounds on the United Kingdom by airplane.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Where these overtones are interfered with by any imperfection in the instrument the result is a harsh or imperfect sound.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
We suffer, nearly all of us, from a lack of quantitative grasp and from an imperfect grasp of form.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
A coquette is said to be an imperfect incarnation of Cupid, as she keeps her beau, and not her arrows, in a quiver.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
On the part of the believer, his faith and imperfect obedience, though necessary, are not a condition.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
This description is only imperfect in this point that sufficient stress is not laid on the words fall off.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce

British Dictionary definitions for imperfect

imperfect

/ (ɪmˈpɜːfɪkt) /

adjective

exhibiting or characterized by faults, mistakes, etc; defective

not complete or finished; deficient

botany

(of flowers) lacking functional stamens or pistils
(of fungi) not undergoing sexual reproduction

grammar denoting a tense of verbs used most commonly in describing continuous or repeated past actions or events, as for example was walking as opposed to walked

law (of a trust, an obligation, etc) lacking some necessary formality to make effective or binding; incomplete; legally unenforceableSee also executory (def. 1)

music

(of a cadence) proceeding to the dominant from the tonic, subdominant, or any chord other than the dominant
of or relating to all intervals other than the fourth, fifth, and octaveCompare perfect (def. 9)

noun

grammar

the imperfect tense
a verb in this tense

Derived forms of imperfect

imperfectly, adverbimperfectness, 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

imperfect

OTHER WORDS FOR imperfect

OPPOSITES FOR imperfect

Origin of imperfect

OTHER WORDS FROM imperfect

Words nearby imperfect

Words related to imperfect

How to use imperfect in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for imperfect

Derived forms of imperfect