as in defective
having a fault
an imperfect representation of the circumstances surrounding Paul Revere's famous ride
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Recent Examples of imperfect
Considering only the place a player identifies as his hometown is an imperfect representation of his upbringing.
—
Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 11 June 2026
After reading a Times story about Georg Kochi, a retiree who swapped his Koreatown lawn with plants suited for California, Lee was inspired by Kochi’s wild, wabi-sabi-style garden, which embraces the art of imperfect beauty.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Justice is by its very nature imperfect.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Rather than requiring precise positional data, the system learns using odometry estimates that are themselves imperfect and subject to drift.
—New Atlas, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperfect
Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 11 June 2026
After reading a Times story about Georg Kochi, a retiree who swapped his Koreatown lawn with plants suited for California, Lee was inspired by Kochi’s wild, wabi-sabi-style garden, which embraces the art of imperfect beauty.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Justice is by its very nature imperfect.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Rather than requiring precise positional data, the system learns using odometry estimates that are themselves imperfect and subject to drift.
—New Atlas, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for imperfect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperfect
Adjective
-
Spinraza works on the defective gene to produce more of the missing protein.—
Ciara McCarthy
June 15,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
-
Under state law, Attorney General James Uthmeier would be required to amend the ballot summary if it is found to be defective.—
Gray Rohrer,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Brunson is at his best when everything is at its worst, blessed with belief that seems at times desperate and determination that can feel almost manic.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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All of the club’s worst seasons prior to 1965 took place from 1932 and before.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Underneath Carrey’s wild performance, the actor was keen to inject an unlikely slice of empathy into a very flawed character.—
Simon Bland,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
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Without data that is relatively complete, normalized and updated, AI will present bad information, which can lead to a flawed decision.—
Troy Holaday,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperfect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfect. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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