complementary

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌkɑmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/ UK /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/ See IPA manual

Homophones

complimentary /ˌkɑmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/

Freq #41444

Meanings

1

adj
Combining well with something else to make a complete or better whole.

The wine and the cheese have wonderfully complementary flavours.
2

adj
Describing colours that look striking and balanced when placed together.

Blue and orange are complementary colours.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · combining well with... complemental

Word family

Derived forms colorcomplementarinessintercomplementary

Related forms complemental

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

Etymology

From complement + -ary. Piecewise doublet of complimentary.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# complementary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌkɑmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 41444

## Meanings
1. Combining well with something else to make a complete or better whole.
2. Describing colours that look striking and balanced when placed together.

## Examples
- The wine and the cheese have wonderfully complementary flavours.
- Blue and orange are complementary colours.

## Derived Forms
- color
- complementariness
- intercomplementary

## Related Forms
- complemental

## Etymology
From complement + -ary. Piecewise doublet of complimentary.

## AI Etymology
Complementary is from complement + -ary. Piecewise doublet of complimentary. In present-day use, it can mean combining well with something else to make a complete or better whole, or describing colours that look striking and balanced when placed together. Derived formations include color, complementariness, and intercomplementary.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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