imperfect (ɪmˈpɜːfɪkt
)
Definitions
adjective
- exhibiting or characterized by faults, mistakes, etc; defective
- not complete or finished; deficient
- botany
- (of flowers) lacking functional stamens or pistils
- (of fungi) not undergoing sexual reproduction
- grammar denoting a tense of verbs used most commonly in describing continuous or repeated past actions or events, as for example 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 denoting a tense of verbs used most commonly in describing continuous or repeated past actions or events, as for example as opposed to walked
- law (of a trust, an obligation, etc) lacking some necessary formality to make effective or binding; incomplete; legally unenforceable See also executory (sense 1)
- music
- (of a cadence) proceeding to the dominant from the tonic, subdominant, or any chord other than the dominant
- of or relating to all intervals other than the fourth, fifth, and octave Compare perfect (sense 9)
noun
- grammar
- the imperfect tense
- a verb in this tense
Alternative Forms
imˈperfectly adverb imˈperfectness nounSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
flawed,
impaired,
faulty,
broken,
limited,
damaged,
partial,
unfinished,
incomplete,
defective,
patchy,
immature,
deficient,
rudimentary,
sketchy,
undeveloped,
inexact,
Usage examples
It wasn't for him, much less his DI, to go rocking the boat or looking for ideal solutions in an imperfect world.
, Riot (1986)Sachin is to Bradman as Krishna was to Vishnu, as close to the real thing as exists in this imperfect world.
India Today (1998)Pakistan would be better served with an imperfect democracy than a floundering dictatorship.
Samachar (2004)But she added: `The peace we have is imperfect but better than none.
Sun, News of the World (1999)Lihui took what he could get, but what he did with his life was flawed, imperfect.
, THE SECRETS OF JIN-SHEI (2004)