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incomplete

adjective
in·​com·​plete | \ ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt How to pronounce incomplete (audio) \

Definition of incomplete

1 : not complete : unfinished: such as
a : lacking a usually necessary part, element, or step spoke in incomplete sentences an incomplete set of golf clubs an incomplete diet
b : lacking one or more sets of floral organs an incomplete flower without stamens
c of protein : deficient in one or more essential amino acids People used to think you needed to eat incomplete proteins together in the same meal to make up a complete protein, but that view has been debunked; simply eat a variety of plant-based protein sources throughout the day and you'll be fine.— Katherine Hobson
2 of insect metamorphosis : characterized by the absence of a pupal stage between the immature stages and the adult of an insect in which the young usually resemble the adult — compare complete sense 6
3 of a football pass : not legally caught
Other Words from incomplete Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about incomplete

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Other Words from incomplete

incompletely adverb
incompleteness noun

Examples of incomplete in a Sentence

an incomplete set of encyclopedias She handed in an incomplete assignment.

Recent Examples on the Web

 Suicides accounted for nearly one-third of the jail deaths counted by the news organization, which said its numbers were incomplete because of lack of access to data. — Anchorage Daily News, "What’s known and what’s next after Jeffrey Epstein’s death," 11 Aug. 2019 But the picture Thiel paints is incomplete, Ding says. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "Why an AI arms race with China would be bad for humanity," 10 Aug. 2019 Suicides accounted for nearly one-third of the jail deaths counted by the news organization, which said its numbers were incomplete because of lack of access to data. — Morgan Krakow, Washington Post, "‘We need answers. Lots of them.’: What’s known and what’s next after Jeffrey Epstein’s death," 10 Aug. 2019 Overall, the agency ranked 16th out of the 18 providers that applied for school readiness program slots, and its application was incomplete, the letter said. — Rebecca Lurye, courant.com, "Hartford nonprofit’s school readiness program cut in half over poor performance evaluation," 31 July 2019 If the tension is real, then the model physicists use to describe the early universe is incomplete. — Leila Sloman, Scientific American, "Hubble Tension Headache: Clashing Measurements Make the Universe's Expansion a Lingering Mystery," 29 July 2019 Lock was injured in the third quarter of Monday night’s preseason game vs. the 49ers when he was flushed out of the pocket, threw incomplete and snagged his throwing hand in the turf. — Kyle Fredrickson, The Denver Post, "Broncos’ Vic Fangio on Drew Lock injury return timeline: “It’s going to be a little bit of time”," 21 Aug. 2019 Drug-resistant strains are on the increase due to incomplete and challenging courses of treatment that last for more than 18 months. — Katie Hunt, CNN, "New treatment approved for drug-resistant tuberculosis," 15 Aug. 2019 Decades of incomplete or ineffective treatment has resulted in tuberculosis strains that have become resistant to existing medicines. — Los Angeles Times, "FDA approves tuberculosis drug that works on hard-to-treat cases," 14 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incomplete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of incomplete

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for incomplete

Middle English incompleet, from Late Latin incompletus, from Latin in- + completus complete

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More Definitions for incomplete

incomplete

adjective
How to pronounce incomplete (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of incomplete

: lacking some part : not finished : not complete
American football, of a forward pass : not caught by the player the ball was thrown to

See the full definition for incomplete in the English Language Learners Dictionary

incomplete

adjective
in·​com·​plete | \ ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt How to pronounce incomplete (audio) \

Kids Definition of incomplete

: not finished : not complete

Other Words from incomplete

incompletely adverb

incomplete

adjective
in·​com·​plete | \ ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt How to pronounce incomplete (audio) \

Medical Definition of incomplete

1 of insect metamorphosis : having no pupal stage between the immature stages and the adult with the young insect usually resembling the adult — compare complete sense 1
2 of a bone fracture : not broken entirely across — compare complete sense 2
3 of a protein : deficient in one or more essential amino acids — compare complete sense 3
4 : characterized by incomplete dominance an incomplete trait

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