complete

[kuh m-pleet] /kəmˈplit/
adjective
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.
Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included: The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”.
Compare 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.
Compare incomplete (def 4b).
8.
Engineering. noting a determinate truss having the least number of members required to connect the panel points so as to form a system of triangles.
Compare incomplete (def 3), redundant (def 5c).
9.
(of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.
10.
Mathematics.
  1. 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.
  2. of or pertaining to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set.
    Compare fundamental sequence.
  3. (of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.
verb (used with object), completed, completing.
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.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin complētus (past participle of complēre to fill up, fulfill, equivalent to com- com- + plē- fill + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
completable, adjective
completedness, noun
completely, adverb
completeness, noun
completer, noun
completive, adjective
completively, adverb
half-completed, adjective
precompleteness, noun
quasi-complete, adjective
quasi-completely, adverb
subcomplete, adjective
subcompletely, adverb
subcompleteness, noun
uncompletable, adjective
uncomplete, adjective
uncompletely, adverb
uncompleteness, noun
uncompleted, adjective
well-completed, adjective
Synonyms
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.
Antonyms
1. partial. 3. defective.
Usage note
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.
Examples from the web for complete
  • It was complete and utter overkill for an airport of that size and traffic.
  • Your complete guide to growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit in your backyard garden.
  • It is a complete amino acid and is unusually high in protein for a seed.
  • The heart of the system is a cleaning table complete with sink and cold-water supply.
  • The picture of the artillery unit is yet to be identified with complete accuracy.
  • Stack the rolled pieces on a plate as you complete the process.
  • We really need to get down there with larger field teams and find more complete specimens of the unique fauna.
  • Excellent choices all but no such list is ever really complete.
  • Five were chosen to represent the millions of students who struggle to complete a college degree.
  • complete your chart with as much information as you can find on each page.
British Dictionary definitions for complete

complete

/kəmˈpliːt/
adjective
1.
having every necessary part or element; entire
2.
ended; finished
3.
(prenominal) thorough; absolute: he is a complete rogue
4.
perfect in quality or kind: he is a complete scholar
5.
(of a logical system) constituted such that a contradiction arises on the addition of any proposition that cannot be deduced from the axioms of the system Compare consistent (sense 5)
6.
(of flowers) having sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels
7.
(archaic) expert or skilled; accomplished
verb (transitive)
8.
to make whole or perfect
9.
to end; finish
10.
(in land law) to pay any outstanding balance on a contract for the conveyance of land in exchange for the title deeds, so that the ownership of the land changes hands
11.
(American football) (of a quarterback) to make a forward pass successfully
Derived Forms
completely, adverb
completeness, noun
completer, noun
completion, noun
completive, adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Latin complētus, past participle of complēre to fill up; see complement
Word Origin and History for complete
adj.

late 14c., from Old French complet "full," or directly from Latin completus, past participle of complere "to fill up, complete the number of (a legion, etc.)," transferred to "to fill, to fulfill, to finish (a task)," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + plere "to fill" (see pleio-).

v.

late 14c.; see complete (adj.). Related: Completed; completing.

complete in Technology


See also complete graph, complete inference system, complete lattice, complete metric space, complete partial ordering, complete theory.
[1. or 2. or both?]
(1996-04-24)