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residual

residual

5 6.0
A part left after the main part is used
  • noun
  • /rɪˈzɪdʒuəl/
: residuo
  • The remaining 10 percent of the food residuals are taken to the farm's vermicomposting project.

All these countries held the debt because that was the residual from that.

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Examples

  • Students and kitchen staff separated food residuals, which were weighed and added daily.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The principal target is organic-rich residuals from places like grocery stores, cafeterias, restaurants, and office parks.

    Academic text (1999)
  • I think if we were all fit and lean, a lot of that residual risk would go away.

  • You're going to have a residual for each individual.

  • That's the residual effect of the mining operation.

  • We're just dealing with the residual leftover inflation readings.

  • The Recycling Team has been collecting yard trimmings and wood residuals for three years.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Five California municipalities are preparing to start food residuals recycling programs, including Santa Barbara County and Palm Springs.

    Academic text (1999)
  • A private facility in Hawaii pioneered innovative technology to recycle food residuals in an anaerobic system.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The environmental report highlighted the residual levels of pollutants in the water after the cleanup efforts.

Synonyms

rest
vsresidual
∞ 1.0

The part that is left after the others are taken

focuses on remaining quantity rather than on people or distribution situations
residue
vsresidual
127 4.1

A small amount left on something after most is removed

can refer to any remaining quantity, not only a small amount
remnant
vsresidual
104 4.2

A small piece, often cloth, left when the rest is used or thrown away

can mean any remaining quantity, not restricted to very small pieces
remainder
vsresidual
89 2.7

The part left after the other parts are used or removed

is used broadly for a remaining quantity rather than a simple leftover
remains
vsresidual
72 3.6

Things left after the rest is used, eaten, or taken away

covers remaining quantities too, not only physical objects or materials
balance
vsresidual
12 3.9

The part left after most has been used or taken

is a neutral label for any remaining quantity without financial nuance
leavings
vsresidual
5 5.1

Small pieces of food and other things left after people eat or use them

applies to remaining quantity in general, not only leftover pieces or food
residuum
vsresidual
1 9.9

A part that remains after the main parts are removed or used

is the common general word rather than this more formal variant

Antonyms

498 1.0

The whole amount you get when you add numbers together

Compounds

residual oil
  • Specialized
1 6.1

Oil left after heating crude oil that is used as fuel

1 9.5

A measure of how far actual values usually are from predicted values

residual clay
  • Specialized
7.7

Soil made mostly of clay that stays after rain and wind wash away other rock parts

residual soil
  • Specialized
7.6

Soil that stays above the rock it came from after the rock wears away

How Much

surplus
157 3.1
residual
5 6.0
remainder
89 2.7
trace
498 3.3

Surface Forms

residual singular
residuals plural

Morphology

residual = reside (semi-transparent) = resid + ual

While 'residual' relates to 'remaining', the connection to 'reside' is not immediately clear without context.

Etymology

Residual comes from the Latin residere, 'to remain' or 'sit back', and is the same root as residue, so it helps you remember that it means a quantity or part 'left over' after the main part has been removed or used.