complementary
adjective
com·ple·men·ta·ry
ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē 
1
: serving to fill out or complete
… their economies are more complementary than competitive …—
William Petersen
William Petersen2
: mutually supplying each other's lack
… the complementary relationship that binds the two.—Colin S. Gray
Colin S. Gray3
: relating to or constituting one of a pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportions
4
: being complements of each other
complementary acute angles
5
: characterized by the capacity for precise pairing of purine and pyrimidine bases between strands of DNA and sometimes RNA such that the structure of one strand determines the other
6
: of, relating to, or based on complementary medicine
Cancer, for example, might be treated by blending the best of the Western medicine … with complementary approaches that could include … acupuncture, nutrition, herbs and massage.—Julie Deardorff
Julie Deardorff
complementary
noun
Examples of complementary in a Sentence
… hot and sour soup encapsulates the Taoist principle central to Chinese culture: yin and yang, the notion of balancing the universe's opposing yet complementary forces.
—Rebecca Hays, Cook's Illustrated, January & February 2006
Once Austin got used to what he had on, Jerry was going to talk him into a neck scarf of complementary colors and a cream pullover.
—Alice Munro, Atlantic, January 1990
Vann and Ellsberg were the odd couple, difficult men from different worlds satisfying complementary needs in each other.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
… it was becoming more and more clear to him that Miss Bart herself possessed precisely the complementary qualities needed to round off his social personality.
—Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905
She wore a new outfit with a complementary scarf.
My spouse and I have complementary goals.
Rebecca Hays, Cook's Illustrated, January & February 2006
Once Austin got used to what he had on, Jerry was going to talk him into a neck scarf of complementary colors and a cream pullover.
—Alice Munro, Atlantic, January 1990
Vann and Ellsberg were the odd couple, difficult men from different worlds satisfying complementary needs in each other.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
… it was becoming more and more clear to him that Miss Bart herself possessed precisely the complementary qualities needed to round off his social personality.
—Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905
She wore a new outfit with a complementary scarf.
My spouse and I have complementary goals.
Recent Examples on the Web
These findings, when considered alongside observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), provide complementary evidence for understanding this comet's unusual chemistry.
—Darryl Seligman, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
However, on a young team like the Red Sox, Schwarber would need to be a complementary piece to Anthony and the other young, talented players in Boston.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
There is no reason for this team, when playing complementary football, to be scared of anyone.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
Again, that’s the complementary football.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complementary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Darryl Seligman, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
However, on a young team like the Red Sox, Schwarber would need to be a complementary piece to Anthony and the other young, talented players in Boston.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
There is no reason for this team, when playing complementary football, to be scared of anyone.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
Again, that’s the complementary football.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complementary
Cite this Entry
“Complementary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complementary. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
complementary
adjective
com·ple·men·ta·ry
ˌkäm-plə-ˈment-ə-rē
-ˈmen-trē
: forming or serving as a complement
Medical Definition
complementary
adjective
com·ple·men·ta·ry
ˌkäm-plə-ˈment-ə-rē, -ˈmen-trē
1
: relating to or constituting one of a pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportions
2
: characterized by molecular complementarity
especially
: characterized by the capacity for precise pairing of purine and pyrimidine bases between strands of DNA and sometimes RNA such that the structure of one strand determines the other
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share