Meaning & use
imperfect
Having faults, flaws, or defects; not entirely complete or perfect.
See it in a sentence
The bakery sells imperfect loaves at a discount even though they taste fine.
Their imperfect plan still worked well enough to get the project finished on time.
A note on using this word
In grammar, the imperfect is a verb tense describing ongoing or repeated past actions, as in was walking.
Words with a similar meaning
flaweddefective
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
perfectflawless
Another way to use it
2. noun
A verb tense used to describe an ongoing, habitual, or incomplete action in the past.
French learners must practice the imperfect to describe repeated childhood routines.
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