IMPERFECTLY Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

imperfectly

adverb

as in improperly

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of imperfectly Rather than suffering because leaders acted imperfectly, organizations often suffer because leaders waited too long to act at all. — Irma Becerra, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Stories of first times, of big feelings imperfectly grasped, of life coming into focus for better or worse. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 America’s next 250 years America has rebuilt trust before, imperfectly and through struggle. — Keith Krach, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026 But the legal system’s binary standard—sane and guilty, or insane and not—fits imperfectly with human intuitions about culpability in tragedies like the Clancys’. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Let a few tendrils fall to frame your face for an imperfectly perfect look like Salma Hayek's style. — Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 24 June 2026 The sport that does more to restrain imbalance, however imperfectly, keeps tightening its grip on the national imagination. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026 But the trajectory seems to be that science is learning, cautiously and imperfectly, to author life. — André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026 The marathon showed that robots can run—imperfectly, but convincingly enough. — Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperfectly

Adverb

Callaway was charged with violating his oath of office, improperly requesting or sharing criminal history information, unlawfully retaining license plate data and three counts of stalking.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Georgia has seen dozens of cases of law enforcement agents improperly using data from Flock cameras, leading to resignations, suspensions and even arrests.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of improperly

Adverb

Most social media platforms already have a minimum age to register an account, but governments, parents, and child safety advocates argue that these checks are easy to bypass and inadequately enforced.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Yet many still fail to reach their full potential because the directors are insufficiently engaged, inadequately challenged or possibly confined to narrow definitions of their role.

— James Langabeer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of inadequately

Adverb

The lawsuit argued that the new rules incorrectly preempt states’ powers to regulate how the interest generated by mortgage escrow accounts is handled.

— P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
Wangsaporn incorrectly told Kim that Rhiannon Do no longer worked for Warner Wellness, the auditor said.

— Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of incorrectly

Adverb

Many of the resulting news stories, in Ruff’s view, wrongly credited the metal lumps with oxygenating the atmosphere or helping give rise to life.

— James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
Lexie Hudson, Gilman's sister, commented on his release in a press release sent by Global Reach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing home Americans who are wrongly held abroad.

— Mariam Khan, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrongly

Adverb

The president also has deflected criticism of their impact on consumer prices by claiming erroneously that foreigners pay for them.

— Kent Jones, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026
Jimmy Coe, for example, said in an email to the larger airport that during his visit to Orlando in 2022, his taxi driver erroneously drove him to the Orlando airport instead of the Sanford airport where his Allegiant flight was departing.

— Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of erroneously

Adverb

The lobster fishing industry, based mostly in Maine, has pushed back, saying the claim inaccurately portrays it as a threat to whales and constitutes defamation that has caused economic harm.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
This discrepancy means standard evaluations may inaccurately portray an AI's safety and efficacy.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of inaccurately

Adverb

Axios first reported allegations in May about Edwards allegedly having behaved inappropriately toward his young female staff.

— Jeff Ballou, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
Police in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, released surveillance video of a suspect accused of inappropriately touching a 12-year-old girl inside a Dollar Tree store Monday afternoon.

— Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of inappropriately

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imperfections

imperfectly

imperfectness

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“Imperfectly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfectly. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of imperfectly

adverb

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