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

See Examples For:

supplemental

The companies provided the new commitments alongside supplemental information requested by the Surface Transportation Board.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

During a combative appearance on Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hegseth asked for another $67 billion in supplemental funding for the rest of the budget year.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

"Time series analysis highlights significant seasonal mortality patterns, underscoring the need for targeted interventions during high-risk periods like peak summer months; such as strategic water provisioning, supplemental feeding, and enhanced disease monitoring," it said.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Kall Morris Inc. will further develop Asteria, a supplemental payload attachment system designed for use with older, current, and future spacecraft.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

And a nogas regulation would have the corollary benefit of automatically reducing trash and crowding because considerably fewer people would attempt Everest if they knew supplemental oxygen was not an option.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer