defective

[ dih-fek-tiv ]

adjective

1. Sometimes defected. having a defect or flaw; faulty; imperfect:

   a defective machine.

   Synonyms: deficient, incomplete

   Antonyms: complete, perfect

2. Psychology. characterized by subnormal intelligence or behavior.
3. 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

1. a defective person or thing.

defective

/ dɪˈfɛktɪv /

adjective

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

Derived Forms

• deˈfectiveness, noun
• deˈfectively, adverb

Other Words From

• 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
• pre·de·fec·tive adjective
• un·de·fec·tive adjective
• un·de·fec·tive·ly adverb
• un·de·fec·tive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of defective¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; from Late Latin dēfectīvus, equivalent to dēfectus ( defect ) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English defectif, from Middle French, from Late Latin, as above

Example Sentences

Cells have a waste disposal system to clear out defective molecules, and this protective mechanism was activated in cells lacking USP39.

From Science Daily

He said that because there were no agreed-upon standards for deciding when a defective ballot could be counted, the result would differ county by county.

From Los Angeles Times

By a 4-3 vote, the state justices ruled that voters who sent in a defective mail ballot could go to their polling place on election day and file a provisional ballot that would be counted.

From Los Angeles Times

The report concluded the current process of self-certification for drivers over 70-years-old is "significantly defective" as it relies on the driver accurately reporting their condition.

From BBC

I pointed out the defective logic of blaming the minority party when Republicans controlled both house of Congress and the executive branch, and observed that Democrats were unanimously opposed.

From Salon

Related Words

• abnormal
• damaged
• deficient
• faulty
• flawed
• inadequate
• insufficient
• unhealthy
• unsound