TOP

Definition of complementary adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

complementary

adjective
 
/ˌkɒmplɪˈmentri/
 
/ˌkɑːmplɪˈmentri/
jump to other results
  1. complementary (to something) two people or things that are complementary are different but together form a useful or attractive combination of skills, qualities or physical features
    • The school's approach must be complementary to that of the parents.
    • We provide a service that is essentially complementary to that of the banks.
    Which Word? compliment / complementcompliment / complement
    • These words have similar spellings but completely different meanings. If you compliment someone, you say something very nice to them:
      • She complimented me on my English.
      If one thing complements another, the two things work or look better because they are together:
      • The different flavours complement each other perfectly.
    • The adjectives are also often confused. Complimentary:
      • She made some very complimentary remarks about my English.
      It can also mean ‘free’:
      • There was a complimentary basket of fruit in our room.
      Complementary:
      • The team members have different but complementary skills.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    adverb
    • essentially
    • mutually
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
See complementary in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee complementary in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: complementary

Nearby words

pepper
noun
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
A1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day