complementary

[ kom-pluh-men-tuh-ree, -tree ]
/ ˌkɒm pləˈmɛn tə ri, -tri /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR complementary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

forming a complement; completing.
complementing each other.

noun, plural com·ple·men·ta·ries.

complementary color (def. 1).

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Origin of complementary

First recorded in 1590–1600; complement + -ary

OTHER WORDS FROM complementary

com·ple·men·ta·ri·ness, nounun·com·ple·men·ta·ry, adjective

Words nearby complementary

complement, complemental, complemental air, complementarity, complementarity principle, complementary, complementary air, complementary angle, complementary angles, complementary base, complementary cells
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to complementary

integral, reciprocal, interdependent, equivalent, correspondent, parallel, correlative, fellow, conclusive, corresponding, crowning, integrative, matched, paired, complemental, commutual, completing, interconnected, interrelated, interrelating

Example sentences from the Web for complementary

British Dictionary definitions for complementary

complementary

complemental

/ (ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛntərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

acting as or forming a complement; completing
forming a satisfactory or balanced whole
forming a mathematical complementsine and cosine are complementary functions
maths logic (of a pair of sets, etc) mutually exclusive and exhaustive, each being the complement of the other
(of genes) producing an effect in association with other genes
involving or using the treatments and techniques of complementary medicine

Derived forms of complementary

complementarily or complementally, adverbcomplementariness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012