incomplete

adjective

in·​com·​plete ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt 

1

: not complete : unfinished: such as

a

: lacking a usually necessary part, element, or step

spoke in incomplete sentences

an incomplete set of golf clubs

an incomplete diet

b

of protein : deficient in one or more essential amino acids

People used to think you needed to eat incomplete proteins together in the same meal to make up a complete protein, but that view has been debunked; simply eat a variety of plant-based protein sources throughout the day and you'll be fine.

—Katherine Hobson

c

: lacking one or more sets of floral organs

an incomplete flower without stamens

2

of a football pass : not legally caught

3

of insect metamorphosis : characterized by the absence of a pupal stage between the immature stages and the adult of an insect in which the young usually resemble the adult compare complete sense 6

incompletely adverb

incompleteness noun

Synonyms

• deficient
• fragmental
• fragmentary
• half
• halfway
• partial

Examples of incomplete in a Sentence

an incomplete set of encyclopedias

She handed in an incomplete assignment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Athena works late into the night back at her and Bobby’s home, which is under construction amid an incomplete renovation, trying to piece together what happened and avoiding calls from everyone. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 2 May 2025

The essay concerns the classification of knowledge using categories and simple systems—letters and numbers—that result in forms of order that are often incomplete, arbitrary, or absurd. —Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 May 2025

Lower-quality data (outdated entries, incomplete records and so on) tends to hide in larger datasets and can produce unreliable insights. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

There has been little public opposition yet, but the commission’s Legislative Director Sarah Christie wrote in an email its biggest hurdle is incomplete application materials. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English incompleet, from Late Latin incompletus, from Latin in- + completus complete

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for incomplete

• bittersweet
• celestite
• indiscreet
• marguerite
• obsolete
• overeat
• overheat
• parakeet
• stillingfleet
• superheat
• amit
• athlete

Kids Definition

incomplete

adjective

in·​com·​plete ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt 

: not complete : lacking some part

handed in an incomplete assignment

incompletely adverb

incompleteness noun

Medical Definition

incomplete

adjective

in·​com·​plete ˌin-kəm-ˈplēt 

1

of insect metamorphosis : having no pupal stage between the immature stages and the adult with the young insect usually resembling the adult compare complete sense 1

2

of a bone fracture : not broken entirely across compare complete sense 2

3

of a protein : deficient in one or more essential amino acids compare complete sense 3

4

: characterized by incomplete dominance

an incomplete trait