Standard Lemma guide

imperfective

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American: /ˌɪmpɚˈfɛktɪv/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛktɪv

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, relating to or having the properties of the imperfective aspect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The imperfective aspect; a verb having this aspect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

aspect without regard to the beginning or completion of the action of the verb

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: imperfective aspect

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: durative, durative aspect

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: недаскана́лы (njedaskanály) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Belarusian: незако́нчаны (njezakónčany) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Bulgarian: несвъ́ршен (nesvǎ́ršen) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Catalan: imperfectiu — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 非完整 (fēiwánzhěng) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Czech: nedokonavý — related to the imperfective aspect
  • French: imperfectif — related to the imperfective aspect
  • German: imperfektiv — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Hebrew: לֹא מֻגְמָר (lo mugmár) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Hungarian: folyamatos — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Hungarian: befejezetlen — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Italian: imperfettivo — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Japanese: 未完了 (mikanryō) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Macedonian: не́свршен (nésvršen) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Macedonian: имперфектен (imperfekten) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Polish: niedokonany — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Portuguese: imperfectivo — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Portuguese: imperfetivo — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Russian: несоверше́нный (nesoveršénnyj) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Serbo-Croatian: несвршен — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Serbo-Croatian: nesvršen — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Slovak: nedokonavý — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Slovene: nedovršen — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Ukrainian: недоко́наний (nedokónanyj) — related to the imperfective aspect
  • Bulgarian: несвъ́ршен вид (nesvǎ́ršen vid) — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Catalan: imperfectiu — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 未完成式 (wèiwánchéngshì) — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Czech: nedokonavý — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • German: imperfektiv — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Navajo: tʼahdii — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Portuguese: imperfectivo — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Romanian: imperfectiv — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Russian: несоверше́нный вид (nesoveršénnyj vid) — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
  • Slovene: nedovršen — imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Real reading context

imperfective in complete knowledge articles