perfect complement
1
4.2
- noun
:
complemento perfecto
- Your video explanation of the word amateur is the perfect complement to this post!
Examples
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Lowery's essay seems to me a perfect complement to that of Susan Hill.
Academic text (2009) -
The meat was flavorful, the rye bread was fresh, and the mustard and pickle served as a perfect complement to this titan of a sandwich.
Blog text (26) -
Alex Smith is the perfect complement to this system.
Blog text (29) -
So congratulations to Salesforce.com for finding the perfect complement to the services that they provide customers.
Blog text (26) -
The location itself is the perfect complement, and you could really spend hours in there just exploring, discovering, and enjoying your meal.
Blog text (14) -
When I saw this recipe and had all the ingredients on hand, I thought they'd be the perfect complement to our movie night.
Blog text (23) -
The salad of field greens with Champagne vinaigrette dressing was a perfect complement.
Blog text (14) -
The adjoining salons were a perfect complement to the gracious entrance hall.
Fiction book (1990) -
I paired the dish with a beer from Rogue Brewery called VooDoo Donut Bacon Maple Ale, and it was the perfect complement.
Blog text (14) -
The creamy mildness of ripe avocado wedges is the perfect complement to the spices in these burgers.
How Complementary
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'something that ideally completes or enhances another thing' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'perfect' (ideally complete/suitable) with 'complement' (something that completes or accompanies). This adjective+noun composition follows normal English semantics and similar patterns exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand it.
Etymology
Perfect complement paints a picture of two things that fit together like puzzle pieces or a side dish that makes a meal complete. The word perfect shows it fits exactly and complement is the part that finishes or improves the other, so the phrase means 'something that completes or enhances'.