as in improperly
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Recent Examples of imperfectly
It’s especially imperfectly timed for millennials entering their peak household spending years and beginning to form their own families (or at least try to).
—
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Hair becomes imperfectly perfect and air-dried, makeup gets lighter and more breathable, and nail appointments tend to prioritize practicality just as much as aesthetics.
—Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 8 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
Every year, against impossible odds, one song still tries to answer it—even if imperfectly, for a moment, or for some.
—Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 25 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
They can be done imperfectly without being done disastrously.
—Leslie John, Time, 27 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
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Hair becomes imperfectly perfect and air-dried, makeup gets lighter and more breathable, and nail appointments tend to prioritize practicality just as much as aesthetics.
—Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 8 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
Every year, against impossible odds, one song still tries to answer it—even if imperfectly, for a moment, or for some.
—Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 25 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
They can be done imperfectly without being done disastrously.
—Leslie John, Time, 27 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperfectly
Adverb
-
The insurance company has alleged that a rogue AI robot masterminded Dela Torre’s campaign to improperly challenge her settlement agreement, generating a flurry of baseless and abusive filings that cost $300,000 to contest.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
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This is rare, but will arise on an increasing basis due to attorneys continuing to improperly make use of AI for generating aspects of their legal briefs and failing to double-check their work.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adverb
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India’s waste management system relies heavily on informal collectors who remain inadequately compensated, leading to the creation of parallel streams in the waste economy.—
Aman Kumar,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 May 2026
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What many patients encounter instead is medical dismissal—a pattern of having symptoms minimized, deprioritized or inadequately investigated.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
12 May 2026
Adverb
-
Ujal Thakor was first to the buzzer, incorrectly guessing Tennessee.—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 June 2026
-
Seeing the huge resulting mess the next morning, Lily incorrectly assumes the night shift is also collaborating.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Adverb
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Starring Sam Worthington, the new series follows a father wrongly imprisoned for his son's murder, who escapes to find him alive.—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The eight-hour limited series — based on yet another pulp mystery novel by Harlan Coben, this one from 2023 — focuses on a guy named David (Sam Worthington), your usual husband and father who’s been wrongly convicted of a very unusual atrocity.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
18 June 2026
Adverb
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Consultants also found that the school district erroneously spent more than $2 million on the employer share of health insurance because of problems with its payroll system.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
8 June 2026
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This prevented the driver from being erroneously cited and the incident could be used to show other drivers how the cameras were protecting them.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adverb
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Some members of the coalition have argued, inaccurately, that stripper wells are not significant sources of methane pollution.—
Alex Cuadros,
ProPublica,
16 June 2026
-
Though Rogers is Christian, his story of transformation from weakling to hero certainly spoke to young Jewish boys and men, who were often inaccurately portrayed in the media and press as intellectually superior but physically inferior.—
Miriam Eve Mora,
The Conversation,
7 May 2026
Adverb
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But lawyers and digital privacy experts argue that the deal raises questions about who will have access to the massive cache of health data and whether it could be inappropriately accessed and exploited.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
17 June 2026
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According to the police report, the 5-year-old victim was at her babysitter's home when she was inappropriately touched by Hernandez, who was also inside the house.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
This is another entry that seems hastily done, insufficiently explained.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
Dougherty led the criminal investigation that found two sources for the fire – an old fire that had been insufficiently smothered and Xcel power lines.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperfectly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfectly. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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