incomplete

adjective

ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt How to pronounce incomplete (audio)
Definition of incompletenext
as in deficient
lacking some necessary part an incomplete puzzle that has several pieces missing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incomplete The cost of a thorough review is small compared with the consequences of an expensive commitment based on incomplete information. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 Shown incomplete, it will be furnished with a bed that doubles as a daybed, since there's no room for a separate sofa. — New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026 Williams argued that without a viable federal copyright claim, Hugo’s state-law claims involving breach of fiduciary duty and an incomplete accounting should also be dismissed, leaving him free to pursue those claims separately in state court. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026 Wright's 15-yard pass to Walker on the first possession of overtime gave the Bulls their 25-18 lead and the defense held when Logan Inagawa's fourth-down throw to the end zone fell incomplete. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incomplete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incomplete
  1. deficient
  2. partial
  3. unfinished
  4. fragmentary
  5. fragmental
Adjective
  • Nearly one-third of adults in the United States may be iron deficient, according to a 2024 study.
    — Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The county attorney's office said the case was submitted to prosecutors in June 2024, but the case file was deficient and did not support charges.
    — Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of deficient
Adjective
  • Investors and sports fans can now take their shot at becoming partial owners of one or both teams through pure-play sports stocks, or just pass.
    — Robert Gray, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • News of the potential deal comes as Witkoff is expected to present Putin with a proposal for a partial ceasefire covering energy and food infrastructure, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Tuesday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of partial
Adjective
  • The film centers on Sebastián (singer Guitarricadelafuente), Carlos (Milo Quifes), and Alberto (Carlos González)—three gay men living in 1932, 1937, and 2017, respectively—who are connected by one of Lorca’s unfinished plays, La Bola Negra.
    — Elaina Patton, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Not long ago, she and Peter Koskey got married, with the unfinished house as their wedding chapel.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfinished
Adjective
  • Fastidious critics are left with nothing but crumbs to scatter on a trail of discussion leading to the door of a theatre, and readers have to extrapolate critics’ full opinions from the fragmentary account that could be written before release.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Both also explore attempts to understand someone who is gone through fragmentary memory, using images as a bridge between the living and the dead.
    — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of fragmentary
Adjective
  • This would generate a cloud of hot gases and fragmental volcanic material, which could then move downslope gravitationally.
    — Erik Klemetti, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2011
Definition of fragmental

Browse Nearby Words

incompetents
incomplete
incompletely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incomplete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incomplete. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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