complementary
1
6.8
- adjective
- /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛntəri/
- Specialized
- The male-female pairing of the Yumbo and Otavalena suggests that savagery and civilization are seen as complementary opposites.
- complementary opposites
- contradictory or complementary
- complementary color
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Watch on YouTubeWhat we have here now with these opposites is they are no longer complementary to each other.
- What we have here now with these opposites is they are no longer complementary to each other.
Examples
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Notice that these are exactly complementary to the AND gate.
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The term paradigm has two complementary dimensions.
Academic text (1993) -
So nature can be understood in two complementary ways.
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It's really just all in the way the complementary art colors are used by the artist.
Blog text (1) -
That would be subtle, that would be complementary and would be hard to both identify and combat.
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In both cases, the result has been to consider such buildings antithetical rather than complementary to existing landscapes.
Academic text (2003) -
You have to take cues from each other, find opposite but complementary angles.
Blog text (20) -
The Lockean labor theory can be regarded as the union of two basic, complementary theses.
Academic text (2006) -
Justice and mercy are complementary polar opposites; they temper one another, balancing one against the other.
Academic text (1995) -
Words like 'hot' and 'cold' are complementary terms, as they describe opposite ends of a temperature spectrum.
Compounds
2
4.0
Treatments used with regular medical care to support health, like acupuncture or herbal remedies
- Specialized
2
4.0
Two colors that make white light or grey when mixed, like red and green
- Specialized
1
5.7
A single-stranded DNA made from messenger RNA that shows which genes are active
- Formal
A short polite phrase that comes before the signature in a formal letter, like 'Sincerely' or 'Best regards'
- Specialized
A situation where two related sounds appear in different places and never together
Surface Forms
Morphology
complementary = complement (semi-transparent) = complement + ary
Formed by adding '-ary' to 'complement' but the logical/technical sense ('mutually negating' or 'covering all possibilities') is a specialized extension and may not be obvious to an average learner.
Etymology
The word complementary comes from Latin parts com- 'with' and plete 'fill', the same root as complete. In logic it means two words are opposites that together 'fill' all the possible cases, so they cover every option.