imperfectly

English

Etymology

From imperfect +‎ -ly or im- +‎ perfectly.

Pronunciation

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Adverb

imperfectly (comparative more imperfectly, superlative most imperfectly)

1. In an imperfect manner or degree; not fully or completely.
   • 1840 May 5, Thomas Carlyle, “Lecture I. The Hero as Divinity. Odin. Paganism: Scandinavian Mythology.”, in On Heroes, Hero-Worship and The Heroic in History, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1840, →OCLC, page 2:

     We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man, without gaining something by him.

   • 1861 June 14, “Amusements.”, in The New York Times‎:

     Mrs. PAGE is gifted with a pleasing voice, which is yet imperfectly weeded of certain sharpnesses, but seems susceptible of a wide range of melodious inflection.

Antonyms

• perfectly

Translations

in an imperfect manner

Catalan: imperfectament (ca) French: imparfaitement (fr) Portuguese: imperfeitamente (pt) Sanskrit: सामि (sa) (sāmi) Spanish: imperfectamente

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “imperfectly”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.