as in imperfect
having a fault
promptly took the defective microwave oven back to the store for a replacement
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defective
Despite knowing the product was defective and replicating customers’ explosions in tests, Sunbeam and its parent company, Newell, told the Consumer Product Safety Commission that the product didn’t need to be recalled and that user error was causing the issue.
—
Sponsored Content, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
If either the hypothalamus or pituitary gland is damaged or defective, estrogen and testosterone levels will drop.
—James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, Md, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 2025
The toddlers were treated using gene therapy, through which patients are given a harmless virus containing healthy versions of a defective gene in order to remedy the problem.
—David Prosser, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Put side by side with the Chrome extension, MacKeeper’s Safari extension looks defective.
—PCMAG, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defective
Sponsored Content, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
If either the hypothalamus or pituitary gland is damaged or defective, estrogen and testosterone levels will drop.
—James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, Md, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 2025
The toddlers were treated using gene therapy, through which patients are given a harmless virus containing healthy versions of a defective gene in order to remedy the problem.
—David Prosser, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Put side by side with the Chrome extension, MacKeeper’s Safari extension looks defective.
—PCMAG, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defective
Adjective
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Interest has risen in wild, imperfect lawn alternatives, including tapestry lawns, made up of low-growing and colorful plants that require little or no mowing (up 16%), and no-mow meadows of native grasses (up 12%).—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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This approval—for Tesla’s imperfect $99-a-month technology and other AV systems—could come as early as next year.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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Athletics manager Mark Kotsay has continued to search for answers to cure what ails the Athletics during their historically bad run of losing in West Sacramento.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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State auditors later concluded in October 2017 that the district, under Woodard’s leadership, had not only improperly authorized charter schools outside its boundaries but had conducted flawed oversight and reviews of charter petitions.—
Kristen Taketa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 May 2025
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Even flawed testing provides valuable information — including how tests might be better written.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The cause of the blaze has not been determined, but the company has acknowledged that it may have been sparked by a faulty dormant power line operated by Edison.—
Caroline Petrow-Cohen,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
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The Trump team's faulty command of the facts has at times been painfully obvious.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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But the murder forced UHG to face a harsh fact: The health care system has never felt more broken to the patients it’s meant to serve.—
Alyson Shontell,
Fortune,
2 June 2025
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Cleaning up debris In the Sunday mid-morning heat, Heather Garcia and Tomlin were outside cleaning their yards, picking up the seemingly endless bits of broken glass.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defective. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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