# incomplete

/ˌɪnkəmˈpɫit/ (US) · /ɪnkəmplˈiːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/incomplete
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. not finished

adjective · CEFR B1

not finished or missing some parts.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. missing floral organs

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

describes a flower that is missing one or more of its usual parts.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. unfinished file or post

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Technical

a file, image, or post on the internet that has not finished loading or is missing data.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- The puzzle is incomplete because two pieces are missing.
- I cannot grade your essay yet because the bibliography is incomplete and missing several sources.
- The archaeological record remains incomplete, as centuries of erosion and human interference have destroyed many of the artifacts required to reconstruct the ancient civilization's daily life.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.