Complete: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of complete? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word complete, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word complete mean?

According to Your Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary and American Heritage the word complete can be used as an adjective or a verb. As a verb, this word means to finish. As an adjective, such uses include describing something with an unbroken unity or all of its principal parts. In grammar, complete is used to refer to sentences that are not sentence fragments, or an incomplete sentence.

The word complete can be used in many ways, including a complete subject, complete accounting, complete components, complete essential amino acids, a complete chess set, complete shock, complete control of the project, complete title deeds, complete conveyance of land, complete set of china, a complete thought, a complete fool, a complete set of the Britannica, a complete wardrobe, a complete meal, complete defeat, and more.

Many different languages also contain words that mean complete. You may notice that many of these translations of complete look and sound similar to the word complete itself. These are called cognates, which are words of different languages that look and sound alike while also retaining a similar meaning. These are often formed when two words or languages have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations of the word complete is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Russian: по́лный‎, це́лый‎, соверше́нный‎
  •  Mandarin: 完全‎ (wánquán)
  •  Galician: completo‎
  •  Nynorsk: komplett‎
  •  Urdu: پورا‎ (pūrā)
  •  Finnish: täydellinen‎
  •  French: complet‎ (masc.), complète‎ (fem.)
  •  Interlingua: complete‎
  •  Ukrainian: по́вний‎
  •  Catalan: complet‎ (masc.), completa‎ (fem.)
  •  Dutch: volledig‎, compleet‎, allesomvattend (less used), algeheel‎
  •  Belarusian: по́ўны‎
  •  Irish: líonmhar‎, foirfe‎
  •  Asturian: completu‎
  •  Spanish: completo‎
  •  Scottish Gaelic: buileach‎
  •  Occitan: complet‎
  •  Sorani: ته‌واو‎ (tawAw)
  •  Hindi: पूरा‎ (pūrā)
  •  Romanian: complet‎
  •  Latvian: pilnīgs‎
  •  Slovene: popoln‎
  •  Italian: completo‎ (masc.), completa‎ (fem.)
  •  Esperanto: kompleta‎
  •  Bulgarian: пъ́лен‎ (masc.), цял‎
  •  Czech: úplný‎ (masc.), plný‎
  •  Yoruba: bam-bam‎
  •  Slovak: plný‎
  •  Indonesian: lengkap‎, sempurna‎, komplit‎
  •  Swedish: komplett‎, fullständig‎
  •  Arabic: كَامِل‎
  •  Japanese: 完全‎, 全い‎ (mattai)
  •  Greek: πλήρης‎ (masc.) (f), πλήρες‎ (neut.)
  •  Bokmål: komplett‎
  •  German: ganz‎, komplett‎, vollständig‎
  •  Turkish: tamam‎
  •  Swahili: kamili‎
  •  Polish: pełny‎, kompletny‎
  •  Macedonian: полн‎
  •  Persian: کامل‎ (kâmel), کمپلت‎ (komplet)
  •  Roman: pun‎
  •  Telugu: పూర్తి‎, సంపూర్ణమైన‎
  •  Cyrillic: пун‎
  •  Portuguese: completo‎, integral‎, totalizado‎, íntegro‎

What are synonyms and antonyms of complete?

There are many different words and phrases that a person can choose to use in place of the word complete. These are called synonyms, which are defined as words and phrases with the same definition as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your English vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms of complete is from Power Thesaurus.

  •  sheer
  •  perfect
  •  all-inclusive
  •  wind up
  •  utter
  •  absolute
  •  concluded
  •  arrant
  •  wrap up
  •  unmitigated
  •  completion
  •  total
  •  terminate
  •  achieve
  •  integral
  •  conclude
  •  unqualified
  •  fully
  •  whole
  •  accomplish
  •  outright
  •  fill out
  •  complement
  •  overall
  •  completely
  •  carry out
  •  fill
  •  discharge
  •  full
  •  downright
  •  out-and-out
  •  finished
  •  thorough
  •  pure
  •  consummate
  •  entire
  •  thoroughgoing
  •  comprehensive
  •  completed
  •  close
  •  exhaustive
  •  terminated
  •  perform
  •  fulfill
  •  ended
  •  finish
  •  finalize
  •  stark
  •  execute
  •  gross

There are also many different words that have the opposite meaning as the word complete. These opposite words are called antonyms, which are another quick and easy way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms is also provided by Power Thesaurus. 

  •  needy
  •  imprecise
  •  part
  •  cut
  •  deserted
  •  haphazard
  •  inadequate
  •  begin
  •  imperfect
  •  continue
  •  missing
  •  almost empty
  •  incomplete
  •  defective
  •  rough
  •  restricted
  •  wanting
  •  fail
  •  give up
  •  limited
  •  circumscribed
  •  failed
  •  neglect
  •  miss
  •  devoid
  •  get started
  •  half
  •  open
  •  halfway
  •  ignored
  •  shallow
  •  narrow
  •  uncompleted
  •  ruin
  •  forget
  •  unfinished
  •  lacking
  •  deficient
  •  undone
  •  fragmentary
  •  cursory
  •  partial
  •  insufficient
  •  quit
  •  jejune
  •  empty
  •  ignore
  •  commence
  •  short
  •  mitigated

What is the origin of the word complete?

According to Your Dictionary, the word complete comes from the Middle English complet or Middle English compleet. This comes from the Middle French and Old French complet or Latin completus/Latin complētus, which is the past participle of complēre/past participle of complere, from plēre/plere and  pelə in Indo-European roots.

How can the word complete be used in a sentence?

There are many different ways in which the word complete can be used in a sentence in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a fantastic way to familiarize yourself with their definitions and add them to your vocabulary. You can also try making flashcards or a quiz for yourself to test your knowledge of the definitions of different words. Try using this new word of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of different examples of using the word complete in a sentence to help get your started.

The quarterback completed a forward pass to the greatest lower bound of the field for a touchdown in American Football.

The complete scholar finished her research on the sepals, pistil,  petals, stamens, and carpels. She did good work in completing these teaching resources for the practice tests, which was a requirement for her master’s degree along with years of teaching experience in math and botany.

The lattice fence was finally complete. They chose a premium fence for a complete change of scene.

The complete list of necessary parts required to complete the assignment was astronomical. The normal parts for the job were nowhere near this many.

The mathematics professor completed grading the logical system exams – they were a complete disaster, unlike those from the algebra category..

Once she finished the dishes, she would light candles and watch that complete bastard on her new television.

On vacation, she needed a complete disconnect from her old life. Once she crossed the doorstep, work and family did not exist. It was just her and her necessary elements.

The beans, poultry, whole grains and dairy all formed complete proteins, unlike incomplete proteins of soy. Many people choose to eat animal products to eat enough protein, but not too much protein.

She read over the lesson summary for her custom course. She liked that she could track course progress to see how complete her work was, plus having unlimited access to video lessons and related study materials, and the ability to contact customer support was a huge upgrade.

Overall, the word complete means whole or finished.

Sources:

  1. complete: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  2. Complete synonyms – 3 559 Words and Phrases for Complete | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Complete antonyms – 1 524 Opposites of Complete | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Complete Meaning | Best 27 Definitions of Complete | Your Dictionary