Complete vs. Done — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 27, 2023
Complete is something fully finished; lacking nothing. Done is something finished or concluded. Complete often implies that something is whole or perfect in all aspects. Done typically indicates that a task or activity has reached its end.
Difference Between Complete and Done
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Complete can suggest a comprehensive or thorough finish. Done may imply a cessation of activity, without necessarily implying thoroughness.
In some contexts, complete can be used to describe the totality of an object or concept. Done usually relates more to the status of activities or tasks.
Complete can also imply a level of perfection or excellence. Done is often used to simply indicate that something is no longer in progress.
The word complete is frequently used in academic or formal contexts. Done is often considered more informal or conversational.
Comparison Chart
Implication
Implies wholeness or perfection
Indicates the end of a task or activity
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Connotation
Suggests comprehensiveness or thoroughness
Implies cessation of activity
Usage Contexts
Describes totality of objects or concepts
Relates to the status of tasks or activities
Level of Finish
Can imply perfection or excellence
Indicates completion without thoroughness
Formality
Often used in academic or formal contexts
Considered more informal or conversational
Compare with Definitions
Complete
Having all necessary parts.
The puzzle is complete with all its pieces.
Done
Finished with a task or activity.
I'm done with my homework.
Complete
Thoroughly done.
The report is complete after extensive research.
Done
No longer in progress.
Dinner is done, let's eat.
Complete
Perfect in all aspects.
His mastery of the subject is complete.
Done
Completed, but not necessarily perfectly.
The painting is done, but it needs some touch-ups.
Complete
Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire
A complete medical history.
A complete set of dishes.
Done
Past participle of do1.
Complete
(Botany) Having all principal parts, namely, the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil or pistils. Used of a flower.
Done
Having been carried out or accomplished; finished
A done deed.
Complete
Having come to an end; concluded
The renovation of the kitchen is complete.
Done
Cooked adequately.
Complete
Absolute; thorough
Complete control.
A complete mystery.
Done
Socially acceptable
Spitting on the street is just not done in polite society.
Complete
Accomplished; consummate
A complete musician.
Done
(Informal) Totally worn out; exhausted.
Complete
(Football) Caught in bounds by a receiver
A complete pass.
Done
Having completed or finished an activity.
He pushed his empty plate away, sighed and pronounced "I am done."
They were done playing and were picking up the toys when he arrived.
Complete
To bring to a finish or an end
She has completed her studies.
Done
(of an activity or task) Completed or finished.
I'll text you when the movie's done.
Complete
To make whole, with all necessary elements or parts
A second child would complete their family. Fill in the blanks to complete the form.
Done
(of food) Ready, fully cooked.
As soon as the potatoes are done we can sit down and eat.
Complete
(Football) To throw (a forward pass) that is caught in bounds by a receiver.
Done
Being exhausted or fully spent.
When the water is done we will only be able to go on for a few days.
Complete
(ambitransitive) To finish; to make done; to reach the end.
He completed the assignment on time.
Done
Without hope or prospect of completion or success.
He is done, after three falls there is no chance he will be able to finish.
Complete
(transitive) To make whole or entire.
The last chapter completes the book nicely.
Done
Fashionable, socially acceptable, tasteful.
I can't believe he just walked up and spoke to her like that, those kind of things just aren't done!
What is the done thing these days? I can't keep up!
Complete
(poker) To call from the small blind in an unraised pot.
Done
Inflection of do
I have done my work.
Complete
With all parts included; with nothing missing; full.
My life will be complete once I buy this new television.
She offered me complete control of the project.
After she found the rook, the chess set was complete.
Done
; did.
Complete
Finished; ended; concluded; completed.
When your homework is complete, you can go and play with Martin.
Done
Used in forming the perfective aspect; have.
I woke up and found out she done left.
Complete
Generic intensifier.
He is a complete bastard!
It was a complete shock when he turned up on my doorstep.
Our vacation was a complete disaster.
Done
(obsolete) do
Complete
In which every Cauchy sequence converges to a point within the space.
Done
(slang) methadone
On the done
Complete
In which every set with a lower bound has a greatest lower bound.
Done
It is done or agreed; let it be a match or bargain; - used elliptically.
Complete
In which all small limits exist.
Done
Given; executed; issued; made public; - used chiefly in the clause giving the date of a proclamation or public act.
Complete
In which every semantically valid well-formed formula is provable.
Done
Having finished or arrived at completion;
Certain to make history before he's done
It's a done deed
After the treatment, the patient is through except for follow-up
Almost through with his studies
Complete
That is in a given complexity class and is such that every other problem in the class can be reduced to it (usually in polynomial time or logarithmic space).
Done
Cooked until ready to serve
Complete
Filled up; with no part or element lacking; free from deficiency; entire; perfect; consummate.
Ye are complete in him.
That thou, dead corse, again in complete steelRevisit'st thus the glimpses of the moon.
Done
Concluded.
The meeting is done, we can leave now.
Complete
Finished; ended; concluded; completed; as, the edifice is complete.
This course of vanity almost complete.
Done
Used to express finality.
Once it's done, there's no going back.
Complete
Having all the parts or organs which belong to it or to the typical form; having calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil.
Complete
To bring to a state in which there is no deficiency; to perfect; to consummate; to accomplish; to fulfill; to finish; as, to complete a task, or a poem; to complete a course of education.
Bred only and completed to the tasteOf lustful appetence.
And, to complete her bliss, a fool for mate.
Complete
Come or bring to a finish or an end;
He finished the dishes
She completed the requirements for her Master's Degree
The fastest runner finished the race in just over 2 hours; others finished in over 4 hours
Complete
Bring to a whole, with all the necessary parts or elements;
A child would complete the family
Complete
Complete or carry out;
Discharge one's duties
Complete
Complete a pass
Complete
Write all the required information onto a form;
Fill out this questionnaire, please!
Make out a form
Complete
Having every necessary or normal part or component or step;
A complete meal
A complete wardrobe
A complete set pf the Britannica
A complete set of china
A complete defeat
A complete accounting
An incomplete flower
Complete
Perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities;
A complete gentleman
Consummate happiness
A consummate performance
Complete
Having all four whorls or principal parts--sepals and petals and stamens and carpels (or pistils);
Complete flowers
Complete
Highly skilled;
An accomplished pianist
A complete musician
Complete
Without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers;
An arrant fool
A complete coward
A consummate fool
A double-dyed villain
Gross negligence
A perfect idiot
Pure folly
What a sodding mess
Stark staring mad
A thoroughgoing villain
Utter nonsense
Complete
Having come or been brought to a conclusion;
The harvesting was complete
The affair is over, ended, finished
The abruptly terminated interview
Complete
Entirely finished.
The building project is complete.
Complete
In a state of completion.
The artwork is complete and ready for display.
Common Curiosities
What does done mean?
Done means finished or concluded.
Is done always thorough?
Not necessarily; done indicates an end but not always thoroughness.
Is complete used for objects?
Yes, complete can describe the totality of an object or concept.
Can complete imply thoroughness?
Yes, complete can suggest a comprehensive or thorough finish.
What does complete mean?
Complete means fully finished, lacking nothing.
Is done formal or informal?
Done is often considered more informal or conversational.
Can done imply temporary completion?
Yes, sometimes it's used to indicate a temporary or provisional end.
Can complete be used for academic contexts?
Yes, complete is frequently used in academic or formal contexts.
Is done only about activities?
Primarily, but it can refer to the status of objects in certain contexts.
Can done refer to tasks?
Yes, done usually relates to the status of tasks or activities.
Can something be done but not complete?
Yes, something can be done (finished) without being complete (thorough).
Does complete suggest perfection?
Complete can imply a level of perfection or excellence.
Is complete used in technical contexts?
Yes, it's often used to indicate full completion in technical fields.
Do complete and done have different connotations?
Yes, complete often connotes thoroughness, while done may simply indicate an end.
Does complete always mean 100% finished?
Generally, yes, it implies full completion.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
