What does imperfectly mean?
Word: Imperfectly
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: Imperfectly means in a way that is not complete or not quite right, with some faults or missing parts.
Synonyms: incompletely, faultily
How do you spell imperfectly?
Syllables: im - per - fect - ly
Tricky part: Near the end the c and the t run together when you speak, so pupils often drop the c and write imperfetly, or drop the t and write imperfecly.
Watch out for: inperfectly, imperfecly, imperfetly
Memory tip: Before a p, the not-prefix changes to im, just as it does in impossible and impolite, so this word never starts with in.
Imperfectly in a sentence
Example 1: Sofia had learnt the song imperfectly, so she hummed through the second verse.
Example 2: The old film was imperfectly restored, and a few scratches still flickered across the screen.
Example 3: Our tent was imperfectly pegged down, and one corner flapped all night in the wind.
Fun Fact
Language teachers use the adjective form of this word as the name of a past tense in French and Spanish, the one for actions that were still going on, which keeps its old sense of not yet finished.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
imp_rf_ctly
a) a, e
b) u, e
c) e, i
d) e, e
Show answer
d) e, e. Both gaps take the same vowel, the one in the plain word perfect.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. seperately 2. imperfectly 3. accidentally 4. occasionally
a) now and then, but not often
b) as different things, not joined together
c) in a way that falls short of the best
d) by chance, without meaning to
Show answer
b) as different things, not joined together. Accidentally, imperfectly and occasionally are spelt correctly; separately has an a straight after the p, so its meaning is the one wanted.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word imperfectly as used in the sentence:
The old radio picked up the cricket commentary only imperfectly, with a crackle every few seconds.
a) patchily
b) poorly
c) flawlessly
d) partially
Show answer
c) flawlessly. Partially, poorly and patchily all describe the same crackly sound; flawlessly would mean every word came through clearly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Priya's kite had been imperfectly mended after the gusty weekend. What happened on its next flight?
a) it wobbled and dipped in the wind
b) it flew higher than ever before
c) it was sold at the school fair
d) it stayed folded up in the cupboard
Show answer
a) it wobbled and dipped in the wind
2. Which sentence uses imperfectly correctly?
a) The sun shone imperfectly bright on the cloudless day.
b) The jigsaw was imperfectly finished because three pieces were missing.
c) Ravi was imperfectly happy to win first prize.
d) The cake tasted imperfectly and everyone loved it.
Show answer
b) The jigsaw was imperfectly finished because three pieces were missing.
