noun
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the condition or quality of being imperfect
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a fault or defect
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of imperfection
1350–1400; Middle English imperfeccio ( u ) n < Late Latin imperfectiōn- (stem of imperfectiō ) incompleteness. See im- 2, perfection
Explanation
An imperfection is a detail that makes something (or someone) less than perfect. A tiny crack in your otherwise flawless Ming vase might be its only imperfection. In addition to a blemish or defect, imperfection can also mean "the general state of not being perfect." For example, you could say, "Yeah, my dog is funny-looking, but her imperfection is part of what I love about her." The Latin imperfectus is at the root of imperfection, meaning "unfinished, incomplete, or immature," a combination of im-, "not," and perfectus, "finished or complete."
Vocabulary lists containing imperfection
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"The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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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.
See Examples For:
The audio captured only the test subject’s voice, in all its a capella imperfection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Even so, the larger emotional arc of family ties, with all their tragedy and imperfection, lifts “Whisper Man” from the typical confines of serial-killer drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"We sell imperfection, and that's attractive for some. It's not 'unreliable', it's the measure of craftsmanship."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
But he seemed unwilling to transform that imperfection into a constitutional defect in which counsel, in his view, still had “every opportunity” to make the point and did not.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026
To remind themselves, and to show their humility, they would purposefully include one missed knot in every rug, one imperfection.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Every day, the museum, for all its imperfections, still makes a strong impression on many visitors.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
In an age of AI-generated images and machine-manufactured products, it may be those imperfections that keep some of Britain's oldest skills alive.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Or it could be worry that comes from helping the children understand a plan designed to protect them from their weaknesses requires a discussion of those imperfections.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
“It’s a life lesson right, maybe we all should embrace our imperfections a bit more.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
We were used to imperfections we could fix with plastic surgery or painful hair removal.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
