Word
incomplete
Phoneticsin·com·plete, stress on the third syllable
US/ˌɪnkəmˈpɫit/
UK/ɪnkəmplˈiːt/
Definitions
01not finished
B1 · Intermediate
adj. not finished or missing some parts.
adj. not having all the necessary or appropriate parts; unfinished.
“The construction of the new bridge is still incomplete, so the road remains closed.”
“The detective found the evidence to be incomplete, as several key witness statements were missing from the final report.”
Synonyms
02missing floral organs
C2 · Proficiency Botany Technical
adj. describes a flower that is missing one or more of its usual parts.
adj. lacking one or more of the four basic floral organs: sepals, petals, stamens, or pistils.
“An incomplete flower might have petals but lack the parts needed to make seeds.”
“The botanist identified the specimen as an incomplete flower because it lacked a calyx, a common trait in this specific genus.”
Antonyms
03unfinished file or post
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Informal · Technical
n. a file, image, or post on the internet that has not finished loading or is missing data.
n. a digital file or data set that is partially uploaded or missing segments, often used in file-sharing contexts.
“I couldn't open the video because the download was an incomplete.”
“The server logs indicated that several incompletes were cluttering the directory after the connection timed out during the batch upload.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “incomplete” in context.
Adjective
01. incomplete data
“The researchers could not reach a conclusion because they were working with incomplete data.”
adj + noun
02. incomplete information
“It is difficult to make a good decision when you have incomplete information about the situation.”
adj + noun
03. incomplete picture
“The news report gave an incomplete picture of what actually happened during the protest.”
adj + noun
Etymology
From Middle English incomplete, incompleet, from Late Latin incomplētus, from in- (“un-; not”) + complētus (“complete”), equivalent to in- (“not”) + complete.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/incomplete