Meaning & use
imperfect
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having faults or weaknesses; not as good or complete as it could be.
Grammar: Comes before a noun or after a linking verb: an imperfect copy, the system is imperfect.
Patterns
- imperfect understanding
- be imperfect
Our understanding of the disease is still imperfect.
The old map is an imperfect guide to the modern city.
He spoke in imperfect English but made himself understood.
nounsingulartechnical
In some languages, the past tense used for actions that were continuing or repeated.
Grammar: Used with the in grammar: the imperfect of the verb.
Patterns
- in the imperfect
In Spanish, the imperfect is used to describe habits in the past.
The verb in this sentence is in the imperfect.
She struggled to learn the French imperfect.
Word forms
| comparative | more imperfect |
|---|---|
| superlative | most imperfect |
Common combinations
- imperfect world
- We live in an imperfect world.
- imperfect understanding
- They had only an imperfect understanding of the rules.
- imperfect copy
- The photograph is an imperfect copy of the painting.
- imperfect tense
- The imperfect tense describes continuing past actions.
- imperfect rhyme
- The poet used an imperfect rhyme at the end of the line.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flawed
- Flawed points to a specific defect that weakens something, whereas imperfect is gentler and can describe something that is simply not ideal.
- faulty
- Faulty is used mostly for machines or reasoning that do not work properly.
- defective
- Defective is a stronger, more technical word for a product or part that fails to meet a standard.
- incomplete
- Incomplete means missing parts, while imperfect means having flaws.
Opposites
Word family
- imperfection noun
- a fault or weakness
- imperfectly adverb
- in a way that is not completely right
- perfect adjective
- without any faults
- perfection noun
- the state of being without fault
Commonly confused: imperfect or preterite?
imperfect vs preterite
The preterite is a past tense for completed actions, whereas the imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions, in languages that have both.
Practice
Which sentence uses imperfect in its grammar sense?
Choose one answer.
Only the second sentence uses imperfect as a verb tense. The other sentences mean having faults.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “imperfect”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.