Link Centre Dictionary

complementary

comp·le·men·tary

UK/ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/ US/ˌkɑmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/ rare obsolete
adjective (3) noun (1)

adjective

1.

acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole)

Synonyms
Similar
2.

of words or propositions so related that each is the negation of the other

  • “male”
  • “female”
Similar
3.

of or relating to or suggestive of complementation

  • “interchangeable electric outlets”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

either one of two chromatic colors that when mixed together give white (in the case of lights) or gray (in the case of pigments)

  • “yellow and blue are complementaries”
Synonyms

Origin

From complement + -ary. Piecewise doublet of complimentary.

Phrases

  • complementary allophone Multiword expressions
  • complementary angle Multiword expressions
  • complementary angles Multiword expressions
  • complementary antonym Multiword expressions
  • complementary colour Multiword expressions
  • complementary distribution Multiword expressions
  • complementary DNA Multiword expressions
  • complementary function Multiword expressions

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.