complete

—completable, adj. —completedness, n. —completely, adv. —completeness, n. —completer, n. —completive, adj. —completively, adv.

/keuhm pleet"/, adj., v., completed, completing.

adj.

1. having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full: a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.

2. finished; ended; concluded: a complete orbit.

3. having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality: a complete scholar.

4. thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified: a complete victory; a complete mess.

5. Gram. having all modifying or complementary elements included: The complete subject of "The dappled pony gazed over the fence" is "The dappled pony." Cf. simple (def. 20).

6. Also, completed. Football. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.

7. Logic. (of a set of axioms) such that every true proposition able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system is deducible from the set. Cf. incomplete (def. 4b).

8. Engin. noting a determinate truss having the least number of members required to connect the panel points so as to form a system of triangles. Cf. incomplete (def. 3), redundant (def. 5c).

9. (of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.

10. Math.

a. of or pertaining to an algebraic system, as a field with an order relation defined on it, in which every set of elements of the system has a least upper bound.

b. of or pertaining to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set. Cf. fundamental sequence.

c. (of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.

v.t.

11. to make whole or entire: I need three more words to complete the puzzle.

12. to make perfect: His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.

13. to bring to an end; finish: Has he completed his new novel yet?

14. to consummate.

15. Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully: He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.

[1325-75; ME ( < MF) < L completus (ptp. of complere to fill up, fulfill, equiv. to com- COM- + ple- FILL + -tus ptp. suffix]

Syn. 1. unbroken, unimpaired, undivided. 1-3. COMPLETE, ENTIRE, INTACT, PERFECT imply that there is no lack or defect, nor has any part been removed. COMPLETE implies that a certain unit has all its parts, fully developed or perfected, and may apply to a process or purpose carried to fulfillment: a complete explanation. ENTIRE means whole, having unbroken unity: an entire book. INTACT implies retaining completeness and original condition: a package delivered intact. PERFECT emphasizes not only completeness but also high quality and absence of defects or blemishes: a perfect diamond. 3. developed. 11. conclude, consummate, perfect, accomplish, achieve.

Ant. 1. partial. 3. defective.

Usage. Occasionally there are objections to modifying COMPLETE with qualifiers like almost, more, most, nearly, and quite, because they suggest that COMPLETE is relative rather than absolute: an almost complete record; a more complete proposal; the most complete list available. However, such uses are fully standard and occur regularly in all varieties of spoken and written English. See also perfect, unique.

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