incomplete
Americanadjective
-
not complete; lacking some part.
- Synonyms:
- fragmentary, partial, unfinished
-
Football. (of a forward pass) not completed; not caught by a receiver.
-
Engineering. noting a truss the panel points of which are not entirely connected so as to form a system of triangles.
-
Logic, Philosophy.
-
(of an expression or symbol) meaningful only in a specific context.
-
(of a set of axioms) such that there is at least one true proposition (able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system) that is not deducible from the set.
-
noun
adjective
-
not complete or finished
-
not completely developed; imperfect
-
logic
-
(of a formal theory) not so constructed that the addition of a non-theorem to the axioms renders it inconsistent
-
(of an expression) not having a reference of its own but requiring completion by another expression
-
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of incomplete
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word incomplētus. See in- 3, complete
Explanation
Something incomplete is missing a part or unfinished. Incomplete things are not whole. A football pass that falls short is incomplete and so is an outfit without a shirt. A bridge to nowhere? Incomplete. Incomplete describes things that are missing something. A chess set with a lost piece is incomplete. Incomplete also means “unfinished,” like that incomplete bridge to nowhere. People often feel their lives are incomplete until they do something like have a family or make a certain amount of money. You might get an incomplete grade for a class if your teacher is going to let you make up work you missed. When something's incomplete, part of that thing is missing or undone
Vocabulary lists containing incomplete
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: in-, im-, il-, ir-
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Reed knocking the ball away from intended receiver Jordan Anderson for an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
The team's findings also suggest that the traditional emphasis on East African fossils may have provided an incomplete view of this much older evolutionary story.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
But even once McCarthy’s final pass fell incomplete, the defeat had made one thing abundantly clear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment, or to questions regarding why there was so much incomplete data or what about citizenship statuses were inaccurate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
There was evidence, horrifying but incomplete, that Ebola could travel through the air.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
