incomplete

adjective

in·​com·​plete ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt 

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

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

c

: lacking one or more sets of floral organs

an incomplete flower without stamens

2

of a football pass : not legally caught

3

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

incompletely adverb

incompleteness noun

Synonyms

• deficient
• fragmental
• fragmentary
• half
• halfway
• partial

Examples of incomplete in a Sentence

an incomplete set of encyclopedias

She handed in an incomplete assignment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Food handler cards were incomplete, inspectors said. —Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024

And online reviews of the company dating back years show a spotty track record of orders that were sometimes delayed or incomplete. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024

A day later, however, Mejia’s team changed course, announcing that the information was incomplete. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024

Some discovered that their transcripts were missing or incomplete. —Erin Einhorn, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024

Most providers today want to forward claim applications as quickly as possible but this effort could easily lead their staffers to make errors such as filing duplicate claims for the same patient, entering incorrect insurance ID numbers, or providing incomplete patient information. —Shashank Agarwal, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Later that month, the prosecutor’s office sent a list of incomplete autopsy reports to the ME’s office. —Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024

The campaign accounts and party committees provide an incomplete picture of the financial resources available to help the candidates. —Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024

Ryback’s story begins soon after Hitler’s very incomplete victory in the Weimar Republic’s parliamentary elections of July, 1932. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

incomplete

adjective

in·​com·​plete ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt 

: not complete : lacking some part

handed in an incomplete assignment

incompletely adverb

incompleteness noun

Medical Definition

incomplete

adjective

in·​com·​plete ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt 

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