imperfectly

adverb

as in improperly

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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
  1. improperly
  2. inadequately
  3. incorrectly
  4. wrongly
  5. erroneously
  6. misguidedly
  7. inaccurately
  8. irrelevantly
Adverb
  • The judge also found that the government improperly bypassed the usual process for adopting federal regulations.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In their original complaint, prosecutors claimed that, between 2017 and 2024, Smith used an army of bots to improperly stream his music millions of times.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of improperly
Adverb
  • The case accused school officials of unreasonably exposing McNair to the risk of heatstroke, failing to recognize the initial symptoms and inadequately providing medical care and treatment, thus worsening McNair’s condition.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The case went before Carter, who also oversees a six-year-old case in which the city and county are accused of inadequately addressing homelessness.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of inadequately
Adverb
  • The story also incorrectly said Animal Care Services had requested $8 million for interim improvements.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Last week, Rams coach Sean McVay said the NFL privately acknowledged that officials incorrectly called defensive pass interference against Los Angeles in the closing moments of its Week 3 loss to Denver, nullifying an interception.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of incorrectly
Adverb
  • Opposing players could have their own grievances as well if they were found to have wrongly missed out on performance bonuses.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The woman's attorneys argued that the decision wrongly gives school officials wide latitude to squelch political speech based on their personal ideas of what is vulgar.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrongly
Adverb
  • Later, campus administration clarified that their initial communication had been sent erroneously and the funds were being held temporarily for review.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Work to address the track-circuit issue — in which the signal system erroneously reports a train occupying a section of track — was underway.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of erroneously
Adverb
  • In both projects, she was tasked not only with playing the same person from young adulthood to maturity, but also with bringing new dimension to a literary character whom readers have misguidedly despised for decades.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of misguidedly
Adverb
  • Keep in mind, though, that software often inaccurately depicts the actuation points of keyboards, albeit by amounts that are hard to notice, according to RTINGs’ testing).
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Blanche said lawmakers who oppose election monitors are reacting inaccurately.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of inaccurately
Adverb
  • Grandma, irrelevantly but convincingly, spoke of wars, blizzards and trekking barefoot to school.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of irrelevantly

Browse Nearby Words

imperfections
imperfectly
imperfectness
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Cite this Entry

“Imperfectly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperfectly. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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