supplemental
Americanadjective
-
(of a pleading, an affidavit, etc.) added to furnish what is lacking or missing.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of supplemental
First recorded in 1595–1605; supplement + -al 1
Explanation
You can use the adjective supplemental to describe something extra. You could volunteer to donate your collection of markers and colored pencils to a local school that needs supplemental art supplies. Something that's supplemental is added when there's a lack or deficiency. You might feed the runt from a litter of puppies supplemental milk because he can't get enough from his mother. Teachers are famous for assigning supplemental reading to round out the information in a textbook. Supplemental comes from the Latin supplementum, "added to supply a deficiency."
Vocabulary lists containing supplemental
Mexican WhiteBoy
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Absolutely Almost
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Keeping Pace
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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.
The companies sent supplemental information to regulators in July, adding commitments to ensure the proposed deal would provide faster, more reliable service as promised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
It can be an opportunity to get back on traditional Medicare plus supplemental insurance.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
After her daughter’s public-school experience, Ms. Hannah-Jones might agree that supplemental educational services would be useful to many public-school students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Year: 2022 Compiled by: Dan Kois and Slate Staff Of note: Accompanied by several supplemental essays, including a ranking by Chris Molanphy of “The Top 5 Mob Movie Deaths of All Time.”
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
We brought hundreds of high school students to our office for supplemental education and discussion about rights and justice.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
