of, relating to, or characterized by defects or weaknesses: imperfect vision.
not perfect; lacking completeness: imperfect knowledge.
Grammar. noting action or state still in process at some temporal point of reference, particularly in the past.
Law. being without legal effect or support; unenforceable.
Botany. (of a flower) diclinous.
Music. of or relating to the interval of a major or minor third or sixth.Compare perfect (def. 13a).
nounGrammar.
the imperfect tense.
another verb formation or construction with imperfect meaning.
a form in the imperfect, as Latin portābam, “I was carrying.”
Origin of imperfect
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin imperfectus “unfinished” (see im-2, perfect); replacing Middle English imparfit, from Middle French imparfait, from Latin, as above
“Poker is the main benchmark and challenge program for games of imperfect information,” Sandholm told me on a warm spring afternoon in 2018, when we met in his offices in Pittsburgh.
The Deck Is Not Rigged: Poker and the Limits of AI|Maria Konnikova|August 7, 2020|Singularity Hub
Apple’s counter to this is its SKAdNetwork, an imperfect application programming interface it launched two years ago, that developers can use to get basic data about their in-app ad campaign performance.
Ad tech is in denial about Apple’s new app privacy rule|Lara O'Reilly|July 14, 2020|Digiday
Tired of technology that isolates us from one another, people are seeking out and placing greater value on physical, authentic, and imperfect experiences delivered by humans.
4 Non-Obvious Trends That Matter During This Pandemic|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|May 25, 2020|Singularity Hub
Layering imperfect interventions can, in a similar way, slow down transmission.
How Do You Stay Safe Now That States Are Reopening? An Expert Explains How To Assess Risk When Reconnecting With Friends And Family|LGBTQ-Editor|May 18, 2020|No Straight News
The way that I would view it is that the world is imperfect because we haven’t used science in policy making.
Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet) (Ep. 405)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 13, 2020|Freakonomics
Even an imperfect messenger is capable of delivering news everyone needs to hear.
Bill Cosby Foe Hannibal Buress Joked About Date Rape|Rich Goldstein|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though the grand jury is an imperfect forum for resolving social issues, it works very well in finding truth.
There’s No Conspiracy in Ferguson’s Secret Jury|Paul Callan|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a fear growing inside of me that my imperfect bruised college experience was a reflection of my own damaged self.
Freshman Year Sucks—and That’s OK|Eleanor Hyun|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem was that, at least in Iowa, this model was imperfect.
Did a Flawed Computer Model Sabotage the Democrats?|Ben Jacobs|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Himmler, for example, wanted to drop the imperfect British pounds on the United Kingdom by airplane.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, low and imperfect sounds, that had in them more of inanimate than human, assailed her ear.
Ormond, Volume III (of 3)|Charles Brockden Brown
I am conscious that while I have taxed your patience, I have given but an imperfect presentation of the subject.
Anti-Slavery Opinions before the Year 1800|William Frederick Poole
A baby is not an imperfect being, an unfinished sketch—he is a man.
Monsieur, Madame and Bebe, Complete|Gustave Droz
He was, I suppose, judging from the imperfect view-point of my sex, what women call "fascinating."
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 8|Ambrose Bierce
A foreigner with an imperfect knowledge of English naturally prefers a doctor to whom he can speak in his own tongue.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
British Dictionary definitions for imperfect
imperfect
/ (ɪmˈpɜːfɪkt) /
adjective
exhibiting or characterized by faults, mistakes, etc; defective
not complete or finished; deficient
botany
(of flowers) lacking functional stamens or pistils
(of fungi) not undergoing sexual reproduction
grammardenoting a tense of verbs used most commonly in describing continuous or repeated past actions or events, as for example was walking as opposed to walked
law(of a trust, an obligation, etc) lacking some necessary formality to make effective or binding; incomplete; legally unenforceableSee also executory (def. 1)
music
(of a cadence) proceeding to the dominant from the tonic, subdominant, or any chord other than the dominant
of or relating to all intervals other than the fourth, fifth, and octaveCompare perfect (def. 9)