Basic Details
Word: Complete
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Having every part that is needed, or finished. As a verb, to complete something is to finish it.
Synonyms: whole, entire, finished, full
Antonyms: incomplete, partial, unfinished
How to Spell Complete
Syllables: com - plete
Tricky part: The long e is written e, consonant, e: -ete, as in delete. Students who spell by sound write compleet.
Watch out for: compleet, complit, compleete
Memory tip: Complete and delete end the same way: -lete. Write com + plete.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The jigsaw puzzle is complete at last.
Example 2: Please complete the form in capital letters.
Example 3: The new library will be complete by March.
Fun Fact
Complete comes from Latin completus, filled up, from complere, to fill; the same root gives complement, the thing that fills something up.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word complete as used in the sentence:
The repair work on the bridge is now complete, and buses can use it again.
a) done
b) finished
c) unfinished
d) whole
Show answer
c) unfinished. Work that is unfinished still has parts left to do, so the buses could not have used the bridge.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. accurate 2. compleet 3. obvious 4. temporary
a) easy to see or understand
b) correct in every detail
c) lasting only for a short time
d) having all its parts; finished
Show answer
d) having all its parts; finished. The ending is -ete, as in athlete, not a double e.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Ravi needs two more stamps to make his collection tmeepolc.
a) compote
b) complete
c) compete
d) complex
Show answer
b) complete. The letters include an l, which compete and compote lack, and no x.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A complete beginner is someone who ____.
a) has just won a prize
b) has finished a course
c) teaches others
d) has no experience at all
Show answer
d) has no experience at all
2. Which prefix turns complete into its opposite?
a) dis-
b) non-
c) in-
d) un-
Show answer
c) in-
