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Definition of "defective" []

  • Having a defect; faulty: a defective appliance. (adjective)
  • Marked by subnormal structure, function, intelligence, or behavior: defective speech. (adjective)
  • Grammar Lacking one or more of the inflected forms normal for a particular category of word, as the verb may in English. (adjective)
  • Offensive One who is physically or mentally deficient. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "defective" in a sentence
  • "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."