complete

[ kuhm-pleet ]

adjective

1. having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full:

   a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.

   Synonyms: unbroken

   Antonyms: partial

2. finished; ended; concluded:

   a complete orbit.

3. having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality:

   a complete scholar.

   Antonyms: defective

4. thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified:

   a complete victory;

   a complete mess.

5. Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included: Compare simple ( def 20 ).

   The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”

6. Also completed. Football. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.
7. Logic. (of a set of axioms) such that every true proposition able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system is deducible from the set. Compare incomplete ( def 4b ).
8. Engineering. noting a determinate truss having the least number of members required to connect the panel points so as to form a system of triangles. Compare incomplete ( def 3 ), redundant ( def 7c ).
9. (of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.
10. Mathematics.
    1. of or relating to an algebraic system, as a field with an order relation defined on it, in which every set of elements of the system has a least upper bound.
    2. of or relating to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set. Compare fundamental sequence ( def ).
    3. (of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.

verb (used with object)

, com·plet·ed, com·plet·ing.

1. to make whole or entire:

   I need three more words to complete the puzzle.

   Synonyms: close, conclude, terminate, achieve, accomplish, perfect, consummate

2. to make perfect:

   His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.

3. to bring to an end; finish:

   Has he completed his new novel yet?

4. to consummate.
5. Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully:

   He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.

complete

/ kəmˈpliːt /

adjective

1. having every necessary part or element; entire
2. ended; finished
3. prenominal thorough; absolute

   he is a complete rogue

4. perfect in quality or kind

   he is a complete scholar

5. (of a logical system) constituted such that a contradiction arises on the addition of any proposition that cannot be deduced from the axioms of the system Compare consistent
6. (of flowers) having sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels
7. archaic.
   expert or skilled; accomplished

verb

1. to make whole or perfect
2. to end; finish
3. (in land law) to pay any outstanding balance on a contract for the conveyance of land in exchange for the title deeds, so that the ownership of the land changes hands
4. American football (of a quarterback) to make a forward pass successfully

Usage Note

Occasionally there are objections to modifying complete with qualifiers like almost, more, most, nearly, and quite, because they suggest that complete is relative rather than absolute: an almost complete record; a more complete proposal; the most complete list available. However, such uses are fully standard and occur regularly in all varieties of spoken and written English. perfect, unique.

Derived Forms

• comˈpletion, noun
• comˈpletely, adverb
• comˈpleter, noun
• comˈpletive, adjective
• comˈpleteness, noun

Other Words From

• com·plet·a·ble adjective
• com·plet·ed·ness noun
• com·plete·ly adverb
• com·plete·ness noun
• com·plet·er noun
• com·ple·tive adjective
• com·ple·tive·ly adverb
• half-com·plet·ed adjective
• pre·com·plete·ness noun
• qua·si-com·plete adjective
• sub·com·plete adjective
• sub·com·plete·ness noun
• un·com·plet·a·ble adjective
• un·com·plete adjective
• un·com·plete·ness noun
• un·com·plet·ed adjective
• well-com·plet·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of complete¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French or directly from Latin complētus (past participle of complēre “to fill up, fulfill,” equivalent to com- com- + plē- fill + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of complete¹

C14: from Latin complētus, past participle of complēre to fill up; see complement

Example Sentences

"It was going to be more about honouring her legacy and her memory, saying that her final work was completed and that began to change my mind on things," he added.

From BBC

“When complete, it could transform the ways we diagnose, monitor and treat diseases,” she said.

From BBC

“I would implore our leadership to go to the important issues the American people are thinking about: that’s completing our work at the end of the year and moving into next year.”

From Salon

When the human genome was first published in 1990, it didn't even include the Y chromosome, which received its first complete sequence in 2023.

From Science Daily

Mikko Rantanen scored twice in the third period to complete his ninth career hat trick as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Kings.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• close
• conclude
• determine
• develop
• do
• end
• execute
• finalize
• finish
• halt
• perform
• realize
• settle
• wrap up

When To Use

What are other ways to say complete?

Something that is complete has all its parts or elements, or has been finished or concluded. How does complete compare to synonyms entire, intact, and perfect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.