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Inadequate vs Incomplete - What's the difference?

inadequate | incomplete |

As adjectives the difference between inadequate and incomplete

is that inadequate is not adequate; unequal to the purpose; insufficient; deficient; as, inadequate resources, power, conceptions, representations, etc while incomplete is not complete; not filled up; not finished; not having all its parts, or not having them all adjusted; imperfect; defective.

As a noun incomplete is

something incomplete.

inadequate

English

Alternative forms

* (archaic)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Not adequate; unequal to the purpose; insufficient; deficient; as, inadequate resources, power, conceptions, representations, etc.
  • * 2013 June 18, , " Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders," New York Times (retrieved 21 June 2013):
    • In a convulsion that has caught many in Brazil and beyond by surprise, waves of protesters denounced their leaders for dedicating so many resources to cultivating Brazil’s global image by building stadiums for international events, when basic services like education and health care remain woefully inadequate .

    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.
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