IMPERFECTLY Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

imperfectly

adverb

as in improperly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 imperfectly The department exists to preserve some semblance of equal justice in the United States — imperfectly, haltingly, often overbearingly for some and cautiously for others — and help ensure that the nation is governed by the rule of law. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026 Rather than suffering because leaders acted imperfectly, organizations often suffer because leaders waited too long to act at all. — Irma Becerra, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Stories of first times, of big feelings imperfectly grasped, of life coming into focus for better or worse. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 America’s next 250 years America has rebuilt trust before, imperfectly and through struggle. — Keith Krach, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026 But the legal system’s binary standard—sane and guilty, or insane and not—fits imperfectly with human intuitions about culpability in tragedies like the Clancys’. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Let a few tendrils fall to frame your face for an imperfectly perfect look like Salma Hayek's style. — Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 24 June 2026 The sport that does more to restrain imbalance, however imperfectly, keeps tightening its grip on the national imagination. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026 But the trajectory seems to be that science is learning, cautiously and imperfectly, to author life. — André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperfectly

Adverb

Yust also alleges prosecutorial misconduct, arguing that a prosecutor improperly urged jurors to sentence him more harshly because of the emotional impact of the trial on them.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Their discovery drew immediate scrutiny of the owners of the funeral home, who previously operated a south suburban crematory that was shut down in March 2025 after the remains of more than 100 bodies were found improperly stored there.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of improperly

Adverb

In the last decade and a half, a carrousel of feuding political factions took turns governing, all inadequately.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Last year Lee was questioned by legislators after the audit found staffing shortages and process failures had left thousands of cases inadequately investigated, including serious injuries and deaths.

— Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of inadequately

Adverb

The result can be a company that AI fails to recognize, recognizes incorrectly or resolves in favor of a competitor.

— Joseph Byrum, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
The mayor’s office took that step after learning that citations were being incorrectly handed to vendors in MacArthur Park, a situation reported by LA Public Press.

— Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of incorrectly

Adverb

But the hostility toward Jews was evident during the Dreyfus affair, which saw Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish captain in the French army, wrongly convicted of treason in 1894.

— Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026
Acting on an emergency appeal from the administration, the court ruled 5-4 that a federal judge wrongly paused the project until a legal fight could be resolved.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of wrongly

Adverb

The certification for this device was granted erroneously and has been set aside by the FCC and removed from our public database.

— Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
The Internal Revenue Service decided many nonprofit NIL collectives were erroneously given charitable status.

— James Pollard, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of erroneously

Adverb

The lobster fishing industry, based mostly in Maine, has pushed back, saying the claim inaccurately portrays it as a threat to whales and constitutes defamation that has caused economic harm.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
This discrepancy means standard evaluations may inaccurately portray an AI's safety and efficacy.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of inaccurately

Adverb

Before class started, and the teacher had not yet arrived, students may have been clowning around in the room, making jokes, playing pranks, or talking loudly and inappropriately.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
Acosta-Gonzalez may have acted inappropriately with other athletes, police said.

— Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of inappropriately

Browse Nearby Words

imperfections

imperfectly

imperfectness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Imperfectly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfectly. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of imperfectly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes