as in improperly
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Recent Examples of imperfectly
They can be done imperfectly without being done disastrously.
—
Leslie John, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Yet, like Bessette’s relationship with the Kennedy family scion, her eternity band is shrouded in mystery—imperfectly recorded through rumors, second-hand accounts, and myths invented by the press and populace.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
While Julia-Roberts-as-Liz-Gilbert’s story ended, Liz-Gilbert-as-Liz-Gilbert is still moving ahead, honestly and imperfectly.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Elections, however imperfectly, compel lawmakers to listen and respond.
—Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Leslie John, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Yet, like Bessette’s relationship with the Kennedy family scion, her eternity band is shrouded in mystery—imperfectly recorded through rumors, second-hand accounts, and myths invented by the press and populace.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
While Julia-Roberts-as-Liz-Gilbert’s story ended, Liz-Gilbert-as-Liz-Gilbert is still moving ahead, honestly and imperfectly.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Elections, however imperfectly, compel lawmakers to listen and respond.
—Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperfectly
Adverb
-
After an investigation that lasted months, fuelled by eight whistle-blowers on his own staff, the legislators concluded that Paxton had taken bribes from a real-estate developer, improperly fired aides who reported his conduct, and obstructed justice.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The suit claims the parties are negligent for improperly training staff and not supervising security staff.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Fueling your body inadequately will leave you feeling dissatisfied and undernourished.—
Jamie Johnson,
Verywell Health,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Issues such as menopause and perimenopause, endometriosis and Alzheimer’s disease — conditions that exclusively or disproportionately affect women — remain inadequately studied.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Cutting in the Wrong Places If done incorrectly, pruning trees can leave behind open wounds, permanent damage, or spreading decay.—
Nishaa Sharma,
The Spruce,
26 Feb. 2026
-
A lot of people incorrectly think terpenes are just flavoring agents or the latest marketing gimmick.—
Sara Payan,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Presidents who feel confident, wrongly or rightly so, sharpen contrasts with the opposing party instead.—
Averi Harper,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Additionally, the story wrongly suggested that Cher, a 2024 inductee, had been overlooked this year.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Early on in the case, a slate of federal lawyers appeared to agree in a private memo that ended up erroneously posted on the case’s public docket.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Gabriel Landeskog scored and had two assists to match the output of Martin Nečas, who also had a goal wiped away erroneously.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Trump was inaccurately describing federal data.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by inaccurately reporting account information to credit bureaus, potentially harming consumers' credit scores.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Judge Nhan-Ai Simms, who testified to lawmakers in 2023 that Broce asked judges to violate state law by keeping some children with mental and behavioral problems inappropriately locked in juvenile detention centers, disagrees.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Nothing impacting them adjusts the stakes in a way that is inappropriately melancholic or melodramatic.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Governor Newsom has been insufficiently aggressive on AI regulation despite his wife’s advocacy for child safety protections, instead maintaining a cautious approach that reflects long-standing ties to the technology industry rather than working-class interests.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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In the past year at UF, the GOP’s push to eliminate academic leaders seen as insufficiently hostile to left-leaning academics effectively derailed the hiring of a new president and multiple college dean searches.—
Garrett Shanley Herald,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperfectly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfectly. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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