imperfect

[ im-pur-fikt ]

adjective

1. relating to or characterized by defects or weaknesses:

   With my imperfect vision I couldn’t make out the street name.

   Synonyms: faulty, defective

2. not perfect; lacking completeness:

   Human knowledge on all subjects is imperfect.

   Synonyms: immature, underdeveloped, incomplete

   Antonyms: complete

3. Grammar. designating a verb aspect, tense, or other verb category used to express an action or state still in process at some point of reference in time, especially 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 11a ).

noun

, Grammar.

1. 1. in some languages, a verb aspect, tense, or other verb category used to express an action or state still in process at some point of reference in time, especially in the past.
   2. an instance or form of a specific verb in such an aspect, tense, or construction, such as Latin portābam “I was carrying.”

imperfect

/ ɪmˈpɜːfɪkt /

adjective

1. exhibiting or characterized by faults, mistakes, etc; defective
2. not complete or finished; deficient
3. botany
   1. (of flowers) lacking functional stamens or pistils
   2. (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 (of a trust, an obligation, etc) lacking some necessary formality to make effective or binding; incomplete; legally unenforceable See also executory
6. music
   1. (of a cadence) proceeding to the dominant from the tonic, subdominant, or any chord other than the dominant
   2. of or relating to all intervals other than the fourth, fifth, and octave Compare perfect

noun

1. grammar
   1. the imperfect tense
   2. a verb in this tense

Derived Forms

• imˈperfectness, noun
• imˈperfectly, adverb

Other Words From

• im·per·fect·ly adverb
• im·per·fect·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of imperfect¹

First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin imperfectus “unfinished”; equivalent to im- ² + perfect; replacing Middle English imparfit, from Middle French imparfait, from Latin, as above

Example Sentences

The debate around prostate screening revolves around an imperfect test and the trade-off between finding some men’s aggressive cancers earlier and the harms of diagnosing and treating slow-growing tumours that would never have affected a man’s health or lifespan.

From BBC

But all democracies have been imperfect.

From Slate

We had a first founding after the revolution that created our first deeply flawed, imperfect democracy.

From Slate

Exit polls are imperfect, but they suggest where each party gained and lost votes since 2020.

From Salon

This is an imperfect practice at best, and one that has never been applied uniformly.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• immature
• incomplete
• inexact
• rudimentary
• sketchy
• warped