supplemental

American  

[suhp-luh-men-tl] / ˌsʌp ləˈmɛn tl /

adjective

1. supplementary.

2. nonscheduled.

3. (of a pleading, an affidavit, etc.) added to furnish what is lacking or missing.

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noun

1. anything that is supplemental.

   supplementals attached to the bill in committee.

Other Word Forms

• nonsupplemental
  adjective
• presupplemental
  adjective
• unsupplemental
  adjective
• nonsupplementally
  adverb
• supplementally
  adverb

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."

Example Sentences

But before Sorsby ever takes a snap for the Red Raiders, he’s aiming to extricate himself from the situation altogether: by entering the supplemental draft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

Facing that uncertainty over his final season, and with the deadline to enter the NFL supplemental draft quickly approaching, Sorsby opted to leave the Red Raiders without ever playing a down.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026

Importantly, the researchers did not directly examine tyrosine supplements or test whether taking supplemental tyrosine shortens lifespan.

From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026

That could lead to lower production and lower-quality hay, which could require cattle producers to buy supplemental feed for their livestock to provide the nutrition the animals need during the winter, he said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

Then, finally, the Hillary Step was clear—but only after Fd spent more than an hour at 28,900 feet without supplemental oxygen.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer