corollary

American  

[kawr-uh-ler-ee, kor-, kuh-rol-uh-ree] / ˈkɔr əˌlɛr i, ˈkɒr-, kəˈrɒl ə ri /

noun

corollaries plural

1. Mathematics. a proposition that is incidentally proved in proving another proposition.

2. an immediate consequence or easily drawn conclusion.

3. a natural consequence or result.

---

corollary British  

/ kəˈrɒlərɪ /

noun

1. a proposition that follows directly from the proof of another proposition

2. an obvious deduction

3. a natural consequence or result

---

adjective

1. consequent or resultant

corollary Scientific  

/ kôr′ə-lĕr′ē /

1. A statement that follows with little or no proof required from an already proven statement. For example, it is a theorem in geometry that the angles opposite two congruent sides of a triangle are also congruent. A corollary to that statement is that an equilateral triangle is also equiangular.

---

Etymology

Origin of corollary

1325–75; Middle English < Late Latin corollārium corollary, in Latin: money paid for a garland, a gift, gratuity. See corolla, -ary

Explanation

Corollary describes a result that is the natural consequence of something else. You could say that your renewed love of books is a corollary to the recent arrival of a book store in your neighborhood. The noun corollary describes an action's consequence. For example, a good grade on an exam is a corollary of studying for long hours. The word is often seen with the prepositions "to" or "of," as in "a corollary to fortune is fame." Math enthusiasts may already be familiar with the word corollary, which can be used more formally to describe a new proof or proposition that follows naturally from an established one.

Example Sentences

Saudi Aramco is the lone historical corollary for IPOs of that size.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Mekies was asked whether the bigger gap in China and Japan compared with Australia was simply a corollary of the fact that the Melbourne track has fewer corners to expose the car's weaknesses.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

If, as the old saying goes, “all politics is local,” then the modern-day corollary in an era of smartphones is, “all conflict is global.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

One corollary number that Resendez points to is that median household income is around $80,000.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

The corollary is that widespread and open trade in ideas is the best way to make up for the lacunae.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• analogy
• upshot