as in improperly
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Recent Examples of imperfectly
Inspired by the designs of the Belgian interior designer and art dealer Axel Vervoordt, its wabi-sabi interiors are an imperfectly perfect melange of cool-toned walls and warm natural materials.
—
Lisa Grainger, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
That lineage reaches back to the Taíno people of Borikén, whose social organization, relationship to land, communal life, and expressive culture were documented, however imperfectly and through colonial lenses, by figures such as Christopher Columbus and Bartolomé de las Casas.
—Dr. Carlos A Torre, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
Parents can manage logistics while letting their sons own decisions, even imperfectly.
—Dr. Liz Doe Stone, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Winnicott insisted that love, imperfectly given, was enough to get a child started.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Be brave, and resist falling back on English Don’t fear being laughed at or scolded for speaking imperfectly, said Massimo Macchiavello, the marketing manager for Posta, a destination management company in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Elections, however imperfectly, compel lawmakers to listen and respond.
—Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
People seated together in worship, imperfectly aligned but present.
—Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Considering the speed at which TV shows are often made, the sound may have been mixed hastily and imperfectly.
—Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Lisa Grainger, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
That lineage reaches back to the Taíno people of Borikén, whose social organization, relationship to land, communal life, and expressive culture were documented, however imperfectly and through colonial lenses, by figures such as Christopher Columbus and Bartolomé de las Casas.
—Dr. Carlos A Torre, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
Parents can manage logistics while letting their sons own decisions, even imperfectly.
—Dr. Liz Doe Stone, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Winnicott insisted that love, imperfectly given, was enough to get a child started.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Be brave, and resist falling back on English Don’t fear being laughed at or scolded for speaking imperfectly, said Massimo Macchiavello, the marketing manager for Posta, a destination management company in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Elections, however imperfectly, compel lawmakers to listen and respond.
—Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
People seated together in worship, imperfectly aligned but present.
—Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Considering the speed at which TV shows are often made, the sound may have been mixed hastily and imperfectly.
—Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperfectly
Adverb
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Partisan versus racial gerrymandering In redistricting battles, the Supreme Court has said federal courts can review whether race was improperly used to draw new lines, but not whether partisan politics was a factor.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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Paxton argues the county is improperly giving public money to private nonprofits, with little control over who gets the legal help, and is funding private immigration cases that do not serve a clear public purpose.—
Saul Pink,
San Antonio Express-News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Scally had already struggled after dealing inadequately with a cross, which let the high-flying visitors score their first.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The attorney general's office also said, because the district did not show how the plaintiffs could only inadequately represent them, intervention of right was not an available option, and that intervention would unnecessarily prolong the case.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Amid communication snafus, some residents were incorrectly told their lights were back on.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Missing a filing deadline, incorrectly valuing an asset or failing to list a creditor could result in your case being dismissed or losing property.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Warsh has also said the Fed’s economic models wrongly assume that rapid economic growth threatens to elevate inflation.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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The commission hears cases of public employees who believe they were wrongly fired for making agency disclosures.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The White House initially did not dispute that Trump made the post and defended it, before a White House official told USA TODAY that a staffer had erroneously made the post, which was then taken down.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
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After calls for its removal -- including by Republicans -- the White House said a staffer had posted the video erroneously.—
BILL BARROW,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Groundhog Day is a tradition in both the United States and Canada where a groundhog comes out of its burrow and — usually inaccurately, especially in Phil’s case — predicts when winter will end.—
David Matthews,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
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Structural alpha occurs when the market inaccurately prices the change itself.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
4 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Noone admitted in court to touching the teen inappropriately by rubbing and grabbing the teen’s butt, kissing her arm and rubbing her thigh, according to the Times.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
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Kevin Dale Westerhold, 51, was taken into custody Tuesday following reports of a partially nude man behaving inappropriately at the Windsor Hills Resort vacation home rental community in Kissimmee, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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But the campaign against Good is different—because The Homeland takes particular and perverse interest in women deemed insufficiently reverent of hearth and home.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
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These rules would otherwise allow other countries to impose top-up taxes when profits are insufficiently taxed.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperfectly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfectly. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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