supplementary
Americanadjective
noun
-
supplementaries
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonsupplementaryadjective
-
presupplementaryadjective
-
unsupplementaryadjective
-
supplementarilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of supplementary
First recorded in 1660–70; supplement + -ary
Explanation
Supplementary is a little something extra to fill in a gap, like when your teacher suggests supplementary reading material that you may or may not get around to checking out. Supplementary can be an important part of something or just extra support. The word supplement comes from the Latin supplementum for "something added to fix a deficiency" and the suffix -ary means "connected with." Put them together and you have something connected with filling in. The supplementary support of digging a moat around your sand castle might save it from a wave, but that supplementary reading on your syllabus isn't required (although it might save your grade).
Vocabulary lists containing supplementary
The Giver
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Plaid and Welsh Labour are currently holding fresh budget negotiations around this year's supplementary budget and next year's full budget.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
It is not as if they need the supplementary income streams.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
“I’ve been training a little bit more, doing just supplementary things to be able to make sure that I’m in a good place,” Ohtani said after returning to the lineup Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said the 143 trillion yen sum, equivalent to $917.85 billion, aligns with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to reduce dependence on supplementary budgets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
To-day the lot fell upon Mr. BECK, who good-temperedly explained, when a shower of "supplementaries" rained down upon him, that he really knew nothing about the Department he was temporarily representing.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, March 28, 1917 by Various
At once a storm of "supplementaries" broke forth.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, July 18, 1917 by Various
The storm of "supplementaries" showed no sign of abating, until the SPEAKER, who rarely fails to find the appropriate phrase, remarked upon "This thirst for information," and so dissolved the House in laughter.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, July 11, 1917 by Various
While he fretted his still pounding head, Bill rode the round-up of registers, supplementaries and totals.
From A Canadian Bankclerk by J. P. Buschlen
Cluster on printed Paper indefinitely extended by supplementaries.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 29, 1914 by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
