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

Often, issues develop into unnecessary crises when there is incomplete information or when critical information does not reach the right people in time. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

The fourth misfire was initially ruled a fumble that led to a Titans touchdown, but it was later overturned by video replay and ruled an incomplete pass. —Elliott Teaford, Orange County Register, 10 Nov. 2024

The race in Arizona was too close to call on Tuesday night, but Trump was ahead of Harris by roughly 106,000 votes in initial, incomplete election results by midday Wednesday. —Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024

An election official in Virginia has been removed from her position after 11 voters got incomplete ballots, according to multiple local news outlets. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024

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

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