Complete vs. Finish: Know the Difference

By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 26, 2023

Complete implies something is whole or perfect in itself, lacking nothing essential, while Finish means to bring something to an end or conclusion.

Key Differences

Complete refers to the state of something being whole, fully developed, or having all necessary parts. It's often used when all elements of something are present. Finish, on the other hand, is about bringing an activity or process to an end. It's about concluding or stopping an action, rather than the state of being whole.

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Dec 26, 2023

When something is complete, it may not necessarily be at its endpoint. For instance, a book can be complete with all chapters written, but not finished if it's not published. Finish implies the cessation of an activity; like finishing a race means no more running is involved.

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Dec 26, 2023

In terms of projects or tasks, complete can mean that all requirements are met. However, finish can imply that no more work is to be done on it, regardless of whether it's perfect or not. Completing a project means it meets all criteria, while finishing it means stopping work on it.

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Dec 26, 2023

The concept of perfection or fulfillment is often associated with complete. A collection can be complete if it has all its intended parts. Finish is more about the process than the state, focusing on the act of bringing something to a close, like finishing a meal.

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Dec 26, 2023

Emotional connotations also differ: complete can carry a sense of satisfaction or wholeness, while finish might imply relief or cessation. Feeling complete in a personal development sense is different from finishing a task on a to-do list.

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Dec 26, 2023

Comparison Chart

Definition

Being whole or fully developed.

Bringing to an end or conclusion.

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Usage in Projects

All parts or requirements are present.

Work on it has stopped.

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Relation to Time

Not necessarily time-bound.

Implies an end to an activity.

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Emotional Connotation

Often associated with satisfaction.

Linked to relief or cessation.

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Example

A complete set of books.

Finishing a race.

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Complete and Finish Definitions

Complete

Fully made or done.

She gave a complete answer to the question.

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Finish

To give a final touch or appearance to.

He finished the sculpture with a polish.

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Complete

Total; absolute.

The silence was complete.

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Finish

To complete an academic course.

She finishes her degree this year.

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Complete

Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire

A complete medical history.

A complete set of dishes.

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Finish

To stop (doing an activity or task) after reaching the point at which there is nothing left to do

Finished cleaning the room.

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Complete

(Botany) Having all principal parts, namely, the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil or pistils. Used of a flower.

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Finish

To bring to a required or desired state

Finish an assignment.

Finish a painting.

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Complete

Having come to an end; concluded

The renovation of the kitchen is complete.

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Finish

To arrive at or attain the end of

Finish a race.

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Complete

Absolute; thorough

Complete control.

A complete mystery.

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Finish

(Sports) To perform the last maneuver in (an offensive play), scoring a goal.

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Complete

Accomplished; consummate

A complete musician.

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Finish

To consume all of; use up

Finish a pie.

Finished off the pizza.

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Complete

(Football) Caught in bounds by a receiver

A complete pass.

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Finish

To give (wood, for example) a desired or particular surface texture.

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Complete

To bring to a finish or an end

She has completed her studies.

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Finish

To destroy; kill

Finished the injured horse with a bullet.

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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.

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Finish

To bring about the ruin of

The stock market crash finished many speculators.

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Complete

(Football) To throw (a forward pass) that is caught in bounds by a receiver.

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Finish

To come to an end; stop

A story that finishes with a twist.

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Complete

(ambitransitive) To finish; to make done; to reach the end.

He completed the assignment on time.

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Finish

To reach the end of a task, course, or relationship

The speaker finished with a rousing call to action.

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Complete

(transitive) To make whole or entire.

The last chapter completes the book nicely.

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Finish

(Sports) To score a goal as the last maneuver in a play

A good forward who just can't seem to finish.

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Complete

(poker) To call from the small blind in an unraised pot.

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Finish

The final part; the conclusion

Racers neck-and-neck at the finish.

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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.

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Finish

The reason for one's ruin; downfall

Stealing the computer codes proved to be his finish.

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Complete

Finished; ended; concluded; completed.

When your homework is complete, you can go and play with Martin.

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Finish

The last treatment or coating of a surface

Applied a shellac finish to the cabinet.

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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.

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Finish

The surface texture produced by such a treatment or coating.

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Complete

In which every Cauchy sequence converges to a point within the space.

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Finish

A material used in surfacing or finishing.

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Complete

In which every set with a lower bound has a greatest lower bound.

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Finish

Completeness, refinement, or smoothness of execution; polish.

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Complete

In which all small limits exist.

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Finish

The flavor left in the mouth after wine has been swallowed.

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Complete

In which every semantically valid well-formed formula is provable.

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Finish

An end; the end of anything.

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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).

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Finish

A protective coating given to wood or metal and other surfaces.

The car's finish was so shiny and new.

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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.

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Finish

The result of any process changing the physical or chemical properties of cloth.

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Complete

Finished; ended; concluded; completed; as, the edifice is complete.

This course of vanity almost complete.

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Finish

A finishing touch; careful elaboration; polish.

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Complete

Having all the parts or organs which belong to it or to the typical form; having calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil.

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Finish

(sports) A shot on goal, especially one that ends in a goal.

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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.

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Finish

(transitive) To complete (something).

Be sure to finish your homework before you go to bed!

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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

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Finish

(transitive) To apply a treatment to a surface or similar.

The furniture was finished in teak veneer.

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Complete

Bring to a whole, with all the necessary parts or elements;

A child would complete the family

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Finish

(transitive) To change an animal's food supply in the months before it is due for slaughter, with the intention of fattening the animal.

Due to BSE, cows in the United Kingdom must be finished and slaughtered before 30 months of age.

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Complete

Complete or carry out;

Discharge one's duties

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Finish

(intransitive) To come to an end.

We had to leave before the concert had finished.

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Complete

Complete a pass

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Finish

(transitive) To put an end to; to destroy.

These rumours could finish your career.

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Complete

Write all the required information onto a form;

Fill out this questionnaire, please!

Make out a form

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Finish

To reach orgasm.

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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

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Finish

To arrive at the end of; to bring to an end; to put an end to; to make an end of; to terminate.

And heroically hath finishedA life heroic.

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Complete

Perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities;

A complete gentleman

Consummate happiness

A consummate performance

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Finish

To bestow the last required labor upon; to complete; to bestow the utmost possible labor upon; to perfect; to accomplish; to polish.

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Complete

Having all four whorls or principal parts--sepals and petals and stamens and carpels (or pistils);

Complete flowers

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Finish

To come to an end; to terminate.

His days may finish ere that hapless time.

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Complete

Highly skilled;

An accomplished pianist

A complete musician

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Finish

To end; to die.

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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

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Finish

That which finishes, puts an end to or perfects.

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Complete

Having come or been brought to a conclusion;

The harvesting was complete

The affair is over, ended, finished

The abruptly terminated interview

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Finish

The joiner work and other finer work required for the completion of a building, especially of the interior. See Inside finish, and Outside finish.

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Complete

Having all necessary parts.

He collected a complete set of stamps.

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Finish

The labor required to give final completion to any work; hence, minute detail, careful elaboration, or the like.

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Complete

To make whole or perfect.

The second volume completes the series.

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Finish

The result of completed labor, as on the surface of an object; manner or style of finishing; as, a rough, dead, or glossy finish given to cloth, stone, metal, etc.

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Complete

Thorough; exhaustive.

She conducted a complete analysis of the data.

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Finish

Completion; - opposed to start, or beginning.

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Finish

A decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance);

The boat had a metallic finish

He applied a coat of a clear finish

When the finish is too thin it is difficult to apply evenly

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Finish

Designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race);

Excitement grew as the finish neared

My horse was several lengths behind at the finish

The winner is the team with the most points at the finish

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Finish

The act of finishing;

His best finish in a major tournament was third

The speaker's finishing was greeted with applause

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Finish

The place designated as the end (as of a race or journey);

A crowd assembled at the finish

He was nearly exhuasted as their destination came into view

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Finish

The temporal end; the concluding time;

The stopping point of each round was signaled by a bell

The market was up at the finish

They were playing better at the close of the season

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Finish

(wine tasting) the taste of a wine on the back of the tongue (as it is swallowed);

The wine has a nutty flavor and a pleasant finish

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Finish

Event whose occurrence ends something;

His death marked the ending of an era

When these final episodes are broadcast it will be the finish of the show

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Finish

The downfall of someone (as of persons on one side of a conflict);

Booze will be the finish of him

It was a fight to the finish

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Finish

A highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality;

They performed with great polish

I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose

Almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art

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Oct 19, 2023

Finish

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

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Finish

Finally be or do something;

He ended up marrying his high school sweetheart

He wound up being unemployed and living at home again

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Finish

Have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical;

The bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed

Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other

My property ends by the bushes

The symphony ends in a pianissimo

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Finish

Provide with a finish;

The carpenter finished the table beautifully

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Finish

Finish eating all the food on one's plate or on the table;

She polished off the remaining potatoes

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Finish

Cause to finish a relationship with somebody;

That finished me with Mary

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Finish

To bring something to an end.

He finished his speech with a quote.

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Finish

To complete the last part of something.

She finished the marathon despite the pain.

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Finish

To consume or use all of something.

They finished the cake in one sitting.

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Repeatedly Asked Queries

Is "complete" used for tasks?

Yes, especially when all parts of the task are done.

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Dec 26, 2023

What does it mean to complete a course?

It means to fulfill all its requirements.

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Can "finish" imply perfection?

Not typically; it's more about ending than achieving perfection.

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Dec 26, 2023

Is "finish" used in the sense of completion?

Yes, but it emphasizes the end of an action.

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Dec 26, 2023

Can something be complete but not finished?

Yes, like a book can be complete in content but not finished in terms of publication.

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Dec 26, 2023

Is it correct to say "finish your meal"?

Yes, it means to eat all that is on the plate.

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Dec 26, 2023

Can "complete" mean "total"?

Yes, as in "complete silence."

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What does "finish line" mean?

It's the end point in a race.

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Does "finish" relate to the quality of work?

Not directly; it's more about cessation.

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Dec 26, 2023

Is "complete" used in sports?

Less commonly, unless referring to a set or equipment.

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Dec 26, 2023

Does "complete" suggest a finality?

It suggests wholeness more than finality.

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Dec 26, 2023

What's a synonym for "complete"?

Whole or entire.

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Dec 26, 2023

Can "finish" mean to use up?

Yes, like finishing a meal.

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Dec 26, 2023

Can "complete" imply thoroughness?

Yes, as in a complete analysis.

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Dec 26, 2023

Can "finish" be used in cooking?

Yes, like finishing a dish with a garnish.

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Dec 26, 2023

Does "complete" have an emotional aspect?

Often, it conveys satisfaction or wholeness.

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Dec 26, 2023

Is "finish" used in an academic context?

Yes, like finishing a degree.

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Can a project be finished but not complete?

Yes, if it's ended but not all criteria are met.

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Dec 26, 2023

What does "a complete person" imply?

A sense of personal fulfillment.

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Dec 26, 2023

Can "finish" indicate the final stage of something?

Yes, like the finishing touches to a painting.

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Dec 26, 2023

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About Author

Written by

Shumaila Saeed

Shumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.