defective

See also: défective

English

Etymology

From Middle French défectif, from Late Latin defectivus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɛktɪv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛktɪv

Adjective

defective (comparative more defective, superlative most defective)

1. Having one or more defects.
   • 2013 March, Harold J. Morowitz, “The Smallest Cell”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 101, number 2, United States: Sigma Xi, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 83:

     It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.

2. (grammar, of a lexeme, especially a verb) Lacking some forms; e.g., having only one tense or being usable only in the third person.
3. (Arabic grammar, of a verb) Having a root whose final consonant is weak (ي, و, or ء).

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "defective" is often applied: merchandise, goods, part, component, product, equipment, gene, unit, construction, design, drug, memory, wiring, machine, device, instrument, hardware, software, vehicle.

Synonyms

• faulty

Antonyms

• complete
• perfect

Related terms

• defect
• defection
• defector
• deficiency
• deficient
• deficit

Translations

having one or more defects

• Bulgarian: повреден (bg) (povreden), неизправен (bg) (neizpraven)
• Catalan: defectiu (ca), defectuós
• Czech: vadný (cs) m
• Danish: fejlbehæftet, defekt (da)
• Dutch: gebrekkig (nl), onvolkomen (nl), onvolmaakt (nl), defectief (nl)
• Finnish: puutteellinen (fi), vajaa (fi), vajavainen (fi), viallinen (fi)
• French: défectueux (fr)
• Galician: defectuoso (gl)
• German: fehlerhaft (de), defekt (de)
• Hebrew: פגום (he) (pagum)
• Hungarian: hibás (hu), hiányos (hu)
• Irish: easpach
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: difettoso (it)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• Latin: vitiōsus, mendōsus
• Polish: wadliwy (pl), felerny
• Portuguese: defeituoso (pt)
• Romanian: defect (ro), defectuos (ro)
• Russian: дефе́ктный (ru) (deféktnyj), повреждённый (ru) (povreždjónnyj), неиспра́вный (ru) (neisprávnyj)
• Spanish: defectuoso (es)
• Swedish: defekt (sv)

having only some forms

• Breton: diglok (br)
• Catalan: defectiu (ca)
• Danish: ufuldstændig (da)
• Dutch: defectief (nl)
• French: défectif (fr)
• Galician: defectivo
• German: mangelhaft (de), unvollständig (de)
• Hungarian: hiányos ragozású, hiányos (hu)
• Irish: uireasach
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: difettivo (it)
• Polish: ułomny (pl)
• Portuguese: defectivo (pt)
• Romanian: defectiv (ro)
• Russian: дефекти́вный (ru) (defektívnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: uireasbhach
• Spanish: defectivo (es)
• Swedish: defektiv (rarely used)

Noun

defective (plural defectives)

1. A person or thing considered to be defective.
   • 2007 January 15, Bernard E. Harcourt, “The Mentally Ill, Behind Bars”, in New York Times‎^[2]:

     There were many more kinds of mental institutions at mid-century, ones for “mental defectives and epileptics” and the mentally retarded, psychiatric wards in veterans hospitals, as well as “psychopathic” and private mental hospitals.

See also

• Wikipedia article on defective verbs

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Interlingua

Adjective

defective (comparative plus defective, superlative le plus defective)

1. defective (having defects)