26984 words

imperfect

5 definitions • 6 examples
1
damaged, containing problems, or not having something:

Examples:

We're living in an imperfect world.
I explained as well as I was able, given my own imperfect understanding of the situation.
2
The imperfect form of a verb describes an action in the past that was continuous or was not completed:

Examples:

in the imperfect In the sentence "He was hit by a car as he was crossing the road", the verb "cross" is in the imperfect form.
3
in some languages, the form of a verb that is used for an action that has not been completed in the past, used, for example, to refer to an action that was happening when it was suddenly interrupted, or to describe an existing situation at the beginning of a story:

Examples:

in the imperfect In the sentence "He was hit by a car as he was crossing the road", the verb "cross" is in the imperfect.
4
not perfect or not complete:

Examples:

Our rule of law is still imperfect, but it’s better than having no laws at all.
5
damaged or not made correctly:

Examples:

Yolk products are made from the cracked, deformed, or otherwise imperfect eggs that don't make it past quality-control standards.

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