incomplete

adjective

ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt How to pronounce incomplete (audio)
Definition of incompletenext
as in deficient
lacking some necessary part an incomplete puzzle that has several pieces missing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 incomplete The Lions converted a fourth down earlier in the series, and a play in which Brooks scooped up a fumble called on the field, on a Chop Robinson hit on Goff, and ran the other way, but it was reversed to an incomplete pass upon review. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026 Reaching the 1-yard line in the final minute, with time for multiple snaps, the Chiefs threw an incomplete pass and handed off for no gain in a 28-24 road loss. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026 Indeed, those who recognize that their beliefs or opinions may be fallible or incomplete are often more willing to learn about others’ views. — Joan M. Cook, Time, 7 Nov. 2026 Prior to Piening’s catch, Barnett found receiver Waden Charles in the end zone for an apparent touchdown, but officials ruled it an incomplete pass. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incomplete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incomplete
  1. deficient
  2. partial
  3. unfinished
  4. fragmentary
  5. fragmental
Adjective
  • The Importance of Understanding Soil Biology Such approaches will not eliminate the need for conventional fertilizers, particularly in soils where phosphorus is genuinely deficient.
    — Rafael De Toledo, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Nearly one-third of adults in the United States may be iron deficient, according to a 2024 study.
    — Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of deficient
Adjective
  • How to Use French Hair Pins French hair pins are for updos, either partial or complete.
    — Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Michael’s only daughter says she has been forced to spend her own resources to ask the court to order a partial distribution of $600 million to the heirs’ family trust as the beneficiary of Jackson’s estate.
    — Claudia Rosenbaum, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of partial
Adjective
  • Mamadou Wadji, 37, heads a shoemakers’ cooperative whose members were moved from a busy market beside Iba Mar Diop stadium to an unfinished school building in an out-of-the-way location so the stadium could be expanded for the Games.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • For now, the evolutionary history of dreaming remains tantalizingly unfinished.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of unfinished
Adjective
  • Although more than half of the Paleolithic cave-art groupings recorded in Europe are located in the Iberian Peninsula, the study notes that the northeastern region has generally yielded only fragmentary evidence.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Fastidious critics are left with nothing but crumbs to scatter on a trail of discussion leading to the door of a theatre, and readers have to extrapolate critics’ full opinions from the fragmentary account that could be written before release.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of fragmentary
Adjective
  • This would generate a cloud of hot gases and fragmental volcanic material, which could then move downslope gravitationally.
    — Erik Klemetti, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2011
Definition of fragmental

Browse Nearby Words

incompetents
incomplete
incompletely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incomplete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incomplete. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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