Incomplete means not finished or missing some necessary parts. When your homework is incomplete, you've left questions blank or haven't done all the assigned work. When a puzzle is incomplete, pieces are missing from the box.

The word describes something that should be whole but isn't yet. A half-built treehouse is incomplete. A story missing its ending is incomplete. An incomplete pass in football is one the receiver didn't catch. Teachers often mark assignments as incomplete when students need more time to finish them properly.

Sometimes incomplete things can still be useful or interesting. Scientists often work with incomplete information, filling in gaps as they learn more. Archaeologists piece together ancient history from incomplete artifacts. But in school and daily life, incomplete usually signals work left undone.

The opposite of incomplete is complete or whole. When you complete something incomplete, you finish it or add what's missing. A student might turn in incomplete work, then complete it later for full credit.