defective

adjective

di-ˈfek-tiv How to pronounce defective (audio)
Definition of defectivenext
as in imperfect
having a fault promptly took the defective microwave oven back to the store for a replacement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defective The jury also rejected a countersuit brought by Joby that accused Aerosonic of selling it defective probes. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 The 46-year-old Princeton, New Jersey, dad was born with a defective aortic valve and had two heart surgeries as a child. — Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 The Radical Approach​ Generally, a semiconductor wafer (up to 12 inches in diameter) is diced up into chips or dies, and any defective parts of the wafer can be discarded. — Nandan Nayampally, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026 But if a child has heard people like them described as dangerous, defective, unwanted or less worthy, changing the subject doesn’t erase the message. — Anahi Collado, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defective
  1. imperfect
  2. bad
  3. flawed
  4. faulty
  5. damaged
  6. broken
Adjective
  • Shares of Johnson & Johnson slid Tuesday after the pharma giant reported another solid but imperfect quarter.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Attribution remains imperfect because an AI recommendation can influence a buyer without producing a trackable click, so these measures shouldn’t be presented as a clean, closed-loop ROI model.
    — Lora Kratchounova, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of imperfect
Adjective
  • Bajaria may also have hit thin ice with Sarandos after the streamer won just 16 Primetime Emmy Awards this year — its worst showing since 2016 and down from 30 in 2025.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The size of the boat, the distance from the tow boat's berth and how bad the boat is stuck will all factor into the final invoice.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • The extra baggage negates the weightlessness, revealing a more flawed and earthbound iteration of the band.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But rather than hail this trend as proof of AI’s skyrocketing potential, many in the field — skeptics and boosters alike — take it as evidence that benchmarking itself has become fatally flawed.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of flawed
Adjective
  • His interview with O’Donnell relates his story—a faulty parachute, a tough crash, a long bloody hike, and survival until he was rescued by an American plane—in a genuinely moving way.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The State Bureau of Investigation led a two-year-long probe into her faulty testing, under Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather’s direction.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of faulty
Adjective
  • Terrain may obstruct radio signals, while damaged infrastructure can limit cellular access.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • At least five people were reported missing, 49 were rescued, and the flood swept away about three dozen homes and damaged bridges, power lines and a hydropower construction site.
    — Binaj Gurubacharya, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of damaged
Adjective
  • She was treated at hospitals in Ramallah and Israel for lacerations across her body, a broken rib and four broken vertebrae.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The desire to move—even to move the broken ankle itself—became, at times, overwhelming.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of broken

Browse Nearby Words

defections
defective
defectively
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defective. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All