as in deficient
lacking some necessary part
an incomplete puzzle that has several pieces missing
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Recent Examples of incomplete
Some people, however, do feel threatened by the thought of admitting incomplete knowledge or appearing to have limitations.
—
Deana L. Weibel, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The investigation is based on debunked fraud claims, as local election officials have already refuted the allegations of discrepancies by explaining that the citizens group’s analysis relied on incomplete data.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital the remains are believed to belong to one person, though the skeleton is incomplete.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
But work on critical hardware — most importantly, the landing vehicle — remains incomplete, although NASA has been pushing to speed up its two lunar lander contractors, SpaceX and Blue Origin.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incomplete
Deana L. Weibel, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The investigation is based on debunked fraud claims, as local election officials have already refuted the allegations of discrepancies by explaining that the citizens group’s analysis relied on incomplete data.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital the remains are believed to belong to one person, though the skeleton is incomplete.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
But work on critical hardware — most importantly, the landing vehicle — remains incomplete, although NASA has been pushing to speed up its two lunar lander contractors, SpaceX and Blue Origin.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incomplete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incomplete
Adjective
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But in 2026, that savings account has been woefully deficient.—
Imtiaz Rangwala,
The Conversation,
1 Apr. 2026
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Most were sterilized because they were believed to be mentally ill or mentally deficient.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One person has died, and two people are missing after a partial collapse at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia parking garage under construction in the city's Grays Ferry neighborhood Wednesday.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The Hickman Mills School District will welcome several new faces to its school board in the coming weeks, along with a new source of partial relief to the multimillion-dollar debt plaguing the district.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But a swath of traffic cones and an unfinished project have lingered, and sidewalks, a layer of asphalt and road striping still need to be finished.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
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Bernice King spoke about ongoing inequality, global conflict, and social division — framing them as proof that her father's work remains unfinished.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Hi-hats and snares appear in fragmentary bursts, icy synths precipitate and evaporate, and Zel slithers wryly in the cut.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2026
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As a result, museums around the world hold remarkable artifacts whose backstories are thin, fragmentary or missing altogether.—
Carlo Rindi Nuzzolo,
The Conversation,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The plume is made of three things: (1) steam - a lot of it; (2) ash - fine, fragmental pieces of silicate glass, not stuff from your backyard BBQ (which is burned carbon); (3) volcanic gases like CO2, SO2, H2S and others.—
Erik Klemetti,
Discover Magazine,
22 May 2011
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This would generate a cloud of hot gases and fragmental volcanic material, which could then move downslope gravitationally.—
Erik Klemetti,
WIRED,
12 Apr. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Incomplete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incomplete. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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