Meaning & use
completed
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“completed” is a form of “complete”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Finished and brought to an end; no longer in progress.
Grammar: Follows have or be, or comes before a noun: has completed; completed work.
Patterns
- completed form
- completed project
- has completed
- completed by Friday
Please return the completed form by Friday.
The completed bridge opened ahead of schedule.
She has completed the first module of the course.
Common combinations
- completed form
- Submit the completed form to the front office.
- completed project
- The completed project was presented to the city council.
- completed application
- Only completed applications will be reviewed.
- completed on time
- The renovation was completed on time and under budget.
- completed by
- The report must be completed by noon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- finished
- Everyday equivalent; completed sounds more formal and documented.
- done
- Informal; done fits speech, while completed fits forms and records.
- concluded
- Formal; suits events or proceedings, not objects like forms.
- fulfilled
- Means satisfied or carried out, often duties or orders, not simply ended.
Opposites
Word family
- complete verb
- To finish; completed is its past participle used as an adjective.
- complete adjective
- Meaning whole or entire; differs from completed meaning finished.
- completely adverb
- Totally; shares the root but changes the grammar.
- completion noun
- The act or state of finishing.
Commonly confused: completed or complete? completed or competent?
completed vs complete
Complete as an adjective means whole or entire; completed means finished after a process.
completed vs competent
Competent means capable; completed means finished.
Practice
Choose the best word: Please send the _____ questionnaire before the deadline.
Choose one answer.
Completed means already finished, which fits a questionnaire ready to send. Complete would mean whole rather than filled in, completing is a participle needing a different structure, and completion is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “completed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.