reciprocal
given or felt by each toward the other; mutual: reciprocal respect.
given, performed, felt, etc., in return: reciprocal aid.
matching; corresponding; equivalent: reciprocal privileges at other health clubs.
Grammar. (of a pronoun or verb) expressing mutual relationship or action: “Each other” and “one another” are reciprocal pronouns.
inversely corresponding; opposing: reciprocal muscles in your back.
Mathematics. noting expressions, relations, etc., involving reciprocals: a reciprocal function.
Navigation. bearing in a direction 180° to a given direction; back.
something that is reciprocal to something else: Faith and fear are reciprocals.
Also called multiplicative inverse. Mathematics. the ratio of unity to a given quantity or expression; that by which the given quantity or expression is multiplied to produce unity: The reciprocal of x is 1/x.
Origin of reciprocal
1synonym study For reciprocal
Other words from reciprocal
- re·cip·ro·cal·i·ty [ri-sip-ruh-kal-i-tee], /rɪˌsɪp rəˈkæl ɪ ti/, re·cip·ro·cal·ness, noun
- re·cip·ro·cal·ly, adverb
- non·re·cip·ro·cal, adjective, noun
- un·re·cip·ro·cal, adjective
Words that may be confused with reciprocal
Words Nearby reciprocal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use reciprocal in a sentence
The parameter H is a measure of how much they disperse while still remaining in minimal contact, while its reciprocal, interiority, is a measure of how much they huddle.
Celebrating the Playful Magic of John Horton Conway | Pradeep Mutalik | October 15, 2020 | Quanta MagazineThe relationship between hunter and prey can represent a reciprocal bond, infused with psychological meaning and spiritual weight.
The Psychic Toll of Severing the Hunter-Prey Relationship - Facts So Romantic | William Buckner | October 14, 2020 | NautilusSo all you had to do was find the probability of having a perfect game of War, and then compute the reciprocal of that number.
The topics of these texts ranged from food, to movies, to books, to family, and all were conversational and positive, were reciprocal, and were, I believed, mutual.
Alaska’s Attorney General on Unpaid Leave After Sending Hundreds of “Uncomfortable” Texts to a Young Colleague | by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News | August 25, 2020 | ProPublicaBeijing could retaliate by imposing reciprocal sanctions on Apple.
Huawei said the U.S. couldn’t ‘crush’ it. Trump is starving it instead | claychandler | August 20, 2020 | Fortune
His visit also included a reciprocal invitation that the pope plans to follow up on in late May.
Obama Goes to Rome Hoping to Tap Some of Pope Francis’ Popularity | Barbie Latza Nadeau | March 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSometimes I do a little, sometimes I do a lot, but always reciprocal and respectful.
Kentucky’s Finest Antihero: Walton Goggins on Justified’s Chameleon Villain | Allen Barra | February 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOne reason for cheer is that the interim agreement has brought together the hard-liners, theirs and ours, in reciprocal dismay.
The safety net is rooted in human instincts about reciprocal exchange.
And stop hugging Israel closer without looking for reciprocal moves.
Europe and the Vanishing Two-State Option | Nick Witney, Daniel Levy | May 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe reciprocal tie in former times between servant and master was strong, now it is wholly gone.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyIn his simple creed if a girl accepted a man and let him kiss her and wore his ring it was a reciprocal love affair.
The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts RinehartA remarkable identity of ideas and tastes, a ready and mutual sympathy, a reciprocal respect, soon made them friends.
Urania | Camille FlammarionFig. 69 b is the polygon of external forces, and 69 c is half the reciprocal figure.
When a reciprocal love shall inflame my veins, then my lips will grow purple, and my kisses will be of fire!
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne Sue
British Dictionary definitions for reciprocal
/ (rɪˈsɪprəkəl) /
of, relating to, or designating something given by each of two people, countries, etc, to the other; mutual: reciprocal friendship; reciprocal trade
given or done in return: a reciprocal favour
(of a pronoun) indicating that action is given and received by each subject; for example, each other in the sentence they started to shout at each other
maths of or relating to a number or quantity divided into one
nautical denoting a course or bearing that is 180° from the previous or assumed one
something that is reciprocal
Also called: inverse maths a number or quantity that when multiplied by a given number or quantity gives a product of one: the reciprocal of 2 is 0.5
Origin of reciprocal
1Derived forms of reciprocal
- reciprocality, noun
- reciprocally, adverb
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
Scientific definitions for reciprocal
[ rĭ-sĭp′rə-kəl ]
Either of a pair of numbers whose product is 1. For example, the number 3 is the reciprocal of 13.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for reciprocal
The number by which a given number must be multiplied to get a result of one. The reciprocal of one-half, for example, is two.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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