Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

defective

[dih-fek-tiv]

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.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Defective is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

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

Related forms

de·fec·tive·ly, adverb

de·fec·tive·ness, noun

non·de·fec·tive, adjective

non·de·fec·tive·ly, adverb

non·de·fec·tive·ness, noun

EXPAND

pre·de·fec·tive, adjective

un·de·fec·tive, adjective

un·de·fec·tive·ly, adverb

un·de·fec·tive·ness, noun

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. incomplete, deficient.

Antonyms
1. perfect, complete.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To defective

Example Sentences

Of all decisions that human beings must make, none is more agonizing than terminating the life of a defective newborn child.

Sure, the product's quality is graded, but nothing is done about defective understanding as the student is pushed down the line.

Replacing defective genes holds out great promise for people suffering from diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cancer.

EXPAND

Of all decisions that human beings must make, none is more agonizing than terminating the life of a defective newborn child.

Sure, the product's quality is graded, but nothing is done about defective understanding as the student is pushed down the line.

Replacing defective genes holds out great promise for people suffering from diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cancer.

Personalized items cannot be returned unless damaged or defective.

Apparently his prosthetics aren't defective enough for him to run against people who have feet.

The defective tube could then be retrofitted back at the plant.

Violations range from minor leaks and defective smoke detectors to lack of heat or hot water.

The company voluntarily withdrew all bottles with defective gas.

Meanwhile, the study could lead to therapies to help patients with defective emotional perception lead more normal lives.

People still often think of children as defective adults.

Also, the mice that had a defective leptin gene were obese, with high endocannabinoid levels.

Schweitzer's crime was slipping inferior materials into nozzles and using defective procedures to make them.

They are humans without emotion or conscience- they are truly defective.

How likely is it that those that chose to participate were mentally defective.

Scientists say those early lines are too limited and defective to develop treatments.

The researchers said further work could lead to tests that detect the defective gene before symptoms appear or before birth.

Let them and their defective gene pool perish if that's their wish.

Your callusness is a clear indicator of something defective in your brain.

In recent decades, doctors wondered whether defective mitochondria might be swapped for healthy ones in an embryo.

Strategies for detecting, reporting and replacing a defective building material.

Garner an ill reputation for selling defective or outright hazardous product.

Makers expect this and include ample additional sectors to replace the defective ones.

But the researchers found that white blood cells produced in response to the vaccine were defective.

The company said it had not been able to determine whether any of the defective cigarettes had been sold to consumers.

We can only refund shipping costs if the return is a result of our error or defective goods.

Moreover, scientists might one day even be able to treat a defective embryo in utero.

They told me my phone was defective and that of course it was not the network.

Defective apparel must be discarded, reworked or sold at a discount.

They are not defective in their patriotism or lacking a generous spirit toward their fellow citizens.

Indeed, defective control of the cell cycle contributes to chromosomal changes seen in cancer cells.

These include singed power cables, defective thrust nozzles, and shoddy paneling.

Many cases of defective vision are caused by the habitual use of coffee.

Fine workers a year's salary if a product they produced comes back defective.

But a genetic mutation leads to defective microglia, which drive the mice to perform the odd, self-mutilating behavior.

They blamed the car companies for making defective products.

It is not alleged that the defendants charge excessive rates, or supply defective accommodations.

Zimbabwe, being extreme examples of defective states.

These imperfections can be manifested as a defective gene, opening the door to a psychological or mental disorder.

The records were on a defective hard drive that the agency sent to the drive vendor for repair.

In this disease, cells have defective versions of a gene for adenosine.

Me thinks yon posting mechanism art defective within it's funtioning.

The implication of this diagnosis is that something internal is defective.

The blaze started in a defective flue, and there being no fire apparatus available it was soon consumed.

Hint, nobody will take you seriously when you have such utterly defective information.

The origin is not known, but it is thought that a defective electric wire may have caused the blaze.

The point of the article is not to claim atheists are somehow defective.

More markers even closer to the defective gene would be needed to develop improved diagnostic tests, the scientists said.

If, as the jury found, she was mentally defective and the young men.

The child must receive two copies of the defective gene.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

defective (dɪˈfɛktɪv)

—*adj*
1.	having a defect or flaw; imperfect; faulty
2.	(of a person) below the usual standard or level, esp in intelligence
3.	grammar (of a word) lacking the full range of inflections characteristic of its form class, as for example must, which has no past tense

de'fectively

—*adv*

de'fectiveness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

defective

late 15c., from Fr. défectif (14c.), from L. defectivus, from defect-, pp. stem of deficere (see deficient). A euphemism for "mentally ill" from 1898 to c.1935.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

defective de·fec·tive (dĭ-fěk'tĭv)
n.

Having an imperfection or malformation.
Lacking or deficient in some physical or mental function.

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for defective?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

belly-land bill of goods blister carrier cobbler crack

Matching Quote

"The study and knowledge of the universe would somehow be lame and defective were no practical results to follow."

-Marcus Tullius Cicero

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help