What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Defective vs Incomplete - What's the difference?

defective | incomplete |

As adjectives the difference between defective and incomplete

is that defective is having one or more defects while incomplete is not complete; not filled up; not finished; not having all its parts, or not having them all adjusted; imperfect; defective.

As nouns the difference between defective and incomplete

is that defective is a person considered to be defective while incomplete is something incomplete.

defective

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Having one or more defects.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-03
    • , author= , title=The Smallest Cell , volume=101, issue=2, page=83 , magazine= citation , passage=It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.}}
  • lacking some forms; e.g., having only one tense or being usable only in the third person.

    • Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "defective" is often applied: merchandise, goods, part, component, product, equipment, gene, unit, construction, design, drug, memory, wiring, machine, device, instrument, hardware, software, vehicle.

    Synonyms

    * faulty

    Related terms

    * defect * defection * defector * deficiency * deficient * deficit

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person considered to be defective.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=January 15, author=Bernard E. Harcourt, title=The Mentally Ill, Behind Bars, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=There were many more kinds of mental institutions at mid-century, ones for “mental defectives and epileptics” and the mentally retarded, psychiatric wards in veterans hospitals, as well as “psychopathic” and private mental hospitals. }}

    See also

    *

    incomplete

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Not complete; not filled up; not finished; not having all its parts, or not having them all adjusted; imperfect; defective.
  • (botany) Of a flower, wanting any of the usual floral organs.

    • Related terms

    * incompletely * incompletion

    Synonyms

    * (not complete) unwhole, underdone, unfinished

    Antonyms

    * complete

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something incomplete.
  • # (Internet) A multipart file posted to Usenet that is incomplete and thus unusable.
  • # (Internet) A multiplayer game that is abandoned because one player disconnects.
  • A designation of being incomplete.
    • He got four incompletes out of five courses last semester.
    ----