imperfect
Use Imperfect in a sentence
fɪkt adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or characterized by defects or weaknesses: imperfect vision.
2.
not perfect; lacking completeness: imperfect knowledge.
3.
Grammar. noting action or state still in process at some temporal point of reference, particularly in the past.
4.
Law. being without legal effect or support; unenforceable.
5.
Botany. (of a flower) diclinous.
6.
Music. of or relating to the interval of a major or minor third or sixth. Compare perfect ( def 12a ).
noun Grammar.
7.
the imperfect tense.
8.
another verb formation or construction with imperfect meaning.
9.
a form in the imperfect, as Latin portābam, “I was carrying.”
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Imperfect
is always a great word to know.
So is pilcrow. Does it mean:
| diamond |
| a paragraph mark. |
Origin:
1300–50; < Latin imperfectus unfinished (see im-2, perfect); replacing Middle English imparfit < Middle French imparfait < Latin, as above
1300–50; < Latin imperfectus unfinished (see im-2, perfect); replacing Middle English imparfit < Middle French imparfait < Latin, as above
Related forms
im·per·fect·ly, adverb
im·per·fect·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. defective, faulty. 2. incomplete, underdeveloped; immature.
1. defective, faulty. 2. incomplete, underdeveloped; immature.
Antonyms
2. complete, developed.
2. complete, developed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To imperfect
Collins
World English Dictionary
imperfect (ɪmˈpɜːfɪkt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | exhibiting or characterized by faults, mistakes, etc; defective |
| 2. | not complete or finished; deficient |
| 3. | botany |
| a. (of flowers) lacking functional stamens or pistils | |
| b. (of fungi) not undergoing sexual reproduction | |
| 4. | 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 |
| 5. | law See also executory (of a trust, an obligation, etc) lacking some necessary formality to make effective or binding; incomplete; legally unenforceable |
| 6. | music |
| a. (of a cadence) proceeding to the dominant from the tonic, subdominant, or any chord other than the dominant | |
| b. Compare perfect of or relating to all intervals other than the fourth, fifth, and octave | |
| —n | |
| 7. | grammar |
| a. the imperfect tense | |
| b. a verb in this tense | |
| im'perfectly | |
| —adv | |
| im'perfectness | |
| —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
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
imperfect
mid-14c., imperfite, from O.Fr. imparfait, from L. imperfectus "unfinished, incomplete." Replaced mid-16c. by the Latin form.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
It's gotten harder than ever to find an imperfect heroine in a series who is actually flawed.
The report found a close, but imperfect, link between major and occupation.
But evolution is a clumsy, imperfect, ongoing process.
Human bodies are imperfect machines in which a range of biology can take place.
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