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

One week after a stunning legal decision granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby the ability to play—despite having placed bets on his own team—he is quitting college for the NFL’s supplemental draft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026

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

From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026

Most climbers rely on supplemental oxygen at this altitude, and even then mountaineering experts advise against staying in the zone for more than 20 hours.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is the latest film to be given the Cosm treatment, in which supplemental animations seek to envelop guests.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Because Boukreev wasn’t breathing supplemental oxygen, he had apparently decided to strip his load down to the bare minimum to gain every possible advantage in the appallingly thin air.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer