complementary
adjective
com·ple·men·ta·ry
| \ ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē
\
\
Definition of complementary
1
: serving to fill out or complete
… their economies are more complementary than competitive …— William Petersen
2
: mutually supplying each other's lack
… the complementary relationship that binds the two.— Colin S. Gray
3
: relating to or constituting one of a pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportions
4
: being complements of each other
complementary acute angles
5
: characterized by the capacity for precise pairing of purine and pyrimidine bases between strands of DNA and sometimes RNA such that the structure of one strand determines the other
6
: of, relating to, or based on complementary medicine
Cancer, for example, might be treated by blending the best of the Western medicine … with complementary approaches that could include … acupuncture, nutrition, herbs and massage.— Julie Deardorff
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Other Words from complementary
complementarily
\ ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rə-lē
, -(ˌ)men-ˈter-ə-lē , -ˈta-rə- \
adverb
, -(ˌ)men-ˈter-ə-lē , -ˈta-rə- \
adverb
complementariness
\ ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē-nəs
\
noun
\
noun
complementary
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for complementary
Synonyms
correlative, reciprocal, supplemental, supplementary
Antonyms
noncomplementary, nonreciprocal
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Examples of complementary in a Sentence
… hot and sour soup encapsulates the Taoist principle central to Chinese culture: yin and yang, the notion of balancing the universe's opposing yet complementary forces.
— Rebecca Hays, Cook's Illustrated, January & February 2006
Once Austin got used to what he had on, Jerry was going to talk him into a neck scarf of complementary colors and a cream pullover.
— Alice Munro, Atlantic, January 1990
Vann and Ellsberg were the odd couple, difficult men from different worlds satisfying complementary needs in each other.
— Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
… it was becoming more and more clear to him that Miss Bart herself possessed precisely the complementary qualities needed to round off his social personality.
— Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905
She wore a new outfit with a complementary scarf.
My spouse and I have complementary goals.
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Recent Examples on the Web
That year, Auburn used Johnson as a complementary player out of the backfield and as an option in the slot. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Harold Joiner is settling in at running back, where Auburn wants to ‘let his talent shine’," 11 Aug. 2019 Many construction-management jobs now require a four-year degree in the field, but even those who are college-bound would benefit from real-world experience preceding and complementary to their academic education. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Worker Skills to Pay the Bills," 25 July 2019 There are tons of ways to build complementary and clashing pieces into an outfit, but there is no way to wear a jacket that will transform a cotton shirt into wool. — Ali Bouzari, SFChronicle.com, "Housemade: The science behind a feast of flavor pairings at Kismet in Los Angeles," 12 July 2019 Kardashian West accessorized the clubby piece with a sleek top-handle bag and complementary strappy sandals in lime green—a major trend from spring that clearly still has legs. — Vogue, "Kim Kardashian West Steps Out in This Kanye-Approved New Label," 30 June 2019 After so many years as the best player on his team, and the face of his school or franchise, Walker would have to adjust to being a complementary player with the Lakers, not to mention the big market. — Dom Amore, courant.com, "As Kemba Walker approaches NBA free agency, championships, legacy and money are all a part of the stakes," 27 June 2019 This approach has been used for years in traditional and complementary healthcare practitioners. — Molly Kimball, nola.com, "The do’s and don’ts of the nutrient-rich Whole 30 diet: Best of Molly Kimball," 18 June 2019 As part of its effort to reduce individual car ownership while raising the percentage of shared rides taken on the platform, Lyft plans to make scooters and bikes more accessible and complementary parts of its users’ daily transportation plans. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Lyft sees a future with more bikes and scooters, and fewer cars," 17 July 2018 Neymar, the talisman, focused more on action than antics and was both a creative and complementary force. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Brazil Hopes Its World Cup Crescendo Continues Into Brutal Knockout Stage Road," 27 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'complementary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for complementary
complementary
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of complementary
: completing something else or making it better : serving as a complement
—used of two things when each adds something to the other or helps to make the other better
: going together well : working well together
See the full definition for complementary in the English Language Learners Dictionary
complementary
adjective
com·ple·men·ta·ry
| \ ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-tə-rē
\
\
Kids Definition of complementary
: serving to make whole or improve something
Their complementary talents make them a great team.
complementary
adjective
com·ple·men·ta·ry
| \ ˌkäm-plə-ˈment-ə-rē, -ˈmen-trē
\
\
Medical Definition of complementary
1
: relating to or constituting one of a pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportions
2
: characterized by molecular complementarity
especially
: characterized by the capacity for precise pairing of purine and pyrimidine bases between strands of DNA and sometimes RNA such that the structure of one strand determines the other