Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Having a defect; faulty: a defective appliance.
- adj. Marked by subnormal structure, function, intelligence, or behavior: defective speech.
- adj. Grammar Lacking one or more of the inflected forms normal for a particular category of word, as the verb may in English.
- n. Offensive One who is physically or mentally deficient.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Having defect or flaw of any kind; imperfect; incomplete; lacking; faulty.
- Specifically In grammar, wanting some of the usual forms of declension or conjugation: as, a defective noun or verb.
- n. A person who is characterized by some special mental, moral, or physical defect; specifically, one who is deficient in one or more of the physical senses or powers.
Wiktionary
- adj. Having one or more defects.
- adj. lacking some forms; e.g, having only one tense or being usable only in the third person.
- n. A person considered to be defective.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Wanting in something; incomplete; lacking a part; deficient; imperfect; faulty; -- applied either to natural or moral qualities
- adj. Lacking some of the usual forms of declension or conjugation.
- n. Anything that is defective or lacking in some respect.
- n. One who is lacking physically or mentally.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. markedly subnormal in structure or function or intelligence or behavior
- adj. having a defect
- adj. not working properly
Examples
“It was quite clear to the Clarks that the "botanist" had not given up his hope of buying the field, in spite of the owners 'insistence that not only was its title defective but that the option had been promised to Mrs. Smith.”
“Mr Sarkozy said the guarantees would be at commercial rates, and he stressed that what he called defective managers would be removed - and rash shareholders would not benefit from the public intervention.”
“(voice-over): A Navy spokesman tells us, Kuchera is being suspended for alleged fraud, including what he called defective pricing.”
“Reason one, I had an 870 defective from the factory (faulty magazine retention spring wouldn't hold shells in the magazine under recoil) and it soured me on Remington for several years.”
“Picture frames made from virgin defective printed circuit boards.”
“Hunter in defective condition, can't stop whining." is what the headline should read.”
“The system was defective from the word go, and no attempt at singing its praise would compensate for these shortcomings.”
“I think the Realtor who gave you the advice that future buyers may consider the roof defective is sound advice.”
The Washington Post: Lender choice shouldn't be made until after comparison shopping
“I think the Realtor who said future buyers may consider the roof defective is giving you sound advice.”
The Washington Post: Lender choice shouldn't be made until after comparison shopping
“In order for your argument to hold, you have to say that we purposely build defective foundations for the future or that we plant defective seeds in defective soil.”
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