as in imperfect
having a fault
promptly took the defective microwave oven back to the store for a replacement
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defective
Car accidents are statistically more common than encountering a defective medical device.
—
Matt Lowe, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Experts have said that any such policy is almost certain to face immediate legal challenges, and that implementing the rule would rely on potential buyers self-declaring as mentally ill or a court determining them to be mentally defective.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
It's passed from the mother to her son through one of the mother's genes and most of those mothers are carriers of the defective gene, having no symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.
—Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
In a new study led by ETH Zurich in Switzerland, researchers developed and tested a new type of cardiac patch that not only seals defective areas of the heart, but also heals them.
—New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defective
Matt Lowe, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Experts have said that any such policy is almost certain to face immediate legal challenges, and that implementing the rule would rely on potential buyers self-declaring as mentally ill or a court determining them to be mentally defective.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
It's passed from the mother to her son through one of the mother's genes and most of those mothers are carriers of the defective gene, having no symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.
—Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
In a new study led by ETH Zurich in Switzerland, researchers developed and tested a new type of cardiac patch that not only seals defective areas of the heart, but also heals them.
—New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defective
Adjective
-
That loop — imperfect at first, refined over years — builds skill.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
-
There were some imperfect moments, though.—
Joe Kozlowski,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The game didn’t start bad for the Giants.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Apparently, Grier forgot his own words, because the lines that the Dolphins have built are collectively their worst this decade, something evident in a crushing 27-24 loss to Carolina, a game in which Miami blew a 17-0 lead.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At 1-3 and trying to give some semblance of help to their top-notch defense and trying to stay alive in an AFC North that appears to be much more flawed than anyone thought a month ago, the Browns need a win.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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By replacing this flawed model with one that accurately accounts for SANS physics, the team demonstrated that porosity has a negligible effect on reactor physics or criticality safety.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The reason the insurance rates are skyrocketing is because of the faulty design of Obamacare.—
Obed Manuel,
NPR,
8 Oct. 2025
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Like a faulty fire hydrant, or a vacuum cleaner whizzing up and down with the uncontrollable hysteria of a feral raccoon, our directive was to suck up as many clicks as possible through every angle imaginable.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Prune lightly for shaping and to remove any dead or damaged branches.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
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Health problems caused by ozone may include coughing, difficulty breathing, and inflamed and damaged airways, according to the agency.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Since Buzzard's Roost opened in 2023, the staff has experienced unexplained broken glasses, books falling off the shelf and many elevator and electronic glitches.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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The Wednesday night attack at the apartment in the 2800 block of Corabel Lane began as an argument between the husband and wife over a broken personal computer tablet, officials said.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defective. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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