complementary
1
6.0
- noun
- /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛntəri/
- Specialized
- In art, using complementary colors like blue and orange can create a vibrant contrast.
Examples
-
When mixing paints, the complementary color to red is green, which helps balance the palette.
-
And then the color of the transmitted light is complementary to the color of the absorbed light.
-
And if you don't have a brown color, you start to think about your complementary colors.
-
You can mute one of the two colours, for example this one by adding a bit of the complementary one into it.
-
And in fact, he purposely chose complementary colors like oranges and yellows with Blues and greens.
-
And there's always the possibility of using split complementaries, which means pulling in colors that are on either side of a complementary color on the color wheel, like red-violet (I love this one!) or blue-violet.
Blog text (1) -
Designers often use complementary colors to ensure that their artwork has a striking visual impact.
Synonyms
2
4.0
Two colors that make white light or grey when mixed, like red and green
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
The word is transparently built from 'complement' plus '-ary', but the color-theory sense is a specialized extension rather than the most basic everyday meaning.
Etymology
The word complementaries comes from Latin parts com- 'with' and plete 'fill', like the word complete. In color use this means two colors 'fill' light together and, when mixed in the right way, can make white light or a gray paint tone, so they complete each other.