as in defective
having a fault
an imperfect representation of the circumstances surrounding Paul Revere's famous ride
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Recent Examples of imperfect
During the presentation, organizers also emphasized that taking any action, even if imperfect, could be a matter of life or death.
—
Alexandra Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
An imperfect but useful analogy might be subliminal messaging, but for AI.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 26 Feb. 2026
Sometimes progress is imperfect, sometimes progress is pain.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
Fernandes in 2023-24 was an imperfect player, dragging a flawed side kicking and screaming toward relevance.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperfect
Alexandra Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
An imperfect but useful analogy might be subliminal messaging, but for AI.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 26 Feb. 2026
Sometimes progress is imperfect, sometimes progress is pain.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
Fernandes in 2023-24 was an imperfect player, dragging a flawed side kicking and screaming toward relevance.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperfect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperfect
Adjective
-
During a June 2025 evidentiary hearing, the city of Torrington submitted an objection to the application as defective for lack of notice, records show.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The Terms of Service of Anthropic’s defective altruism will never outweigh the safety, the readiness, or the lives of American troops on the battlefield.—
Tina Nguyen,
The Verge,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Lakers shot 50% from the field and 46% from three-point range in a dominant performance against the NBA’s worst team.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Louis Trotter’s second Bottega Veneta show at the brand’s headquarters in the Palazzo SanFedele, Palau sent models out in beanies that celebrated the beauty of a good-bad-hair day.—
Arden Fanning Andrews,
Vogue,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Marek said Arrowhead's previous referendums relied on flawed assumptions.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The pulley-belt system is fundamentally flawed — there is no way to prevent the sliding, slipping and particle generation.—
Ed Sokalski,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperfect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfect. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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