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
Conservatives have upheld private enterprise through two seemingly contradictory but complementary strategies.
—Allan J. Lichtman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Marchetti's memoir demonstrates that the geeky kid from Ravenna and the global fashion icon are complementary facets of a life lived at the intersection of beauty and technology.
—Pooja Shah, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The concept, intended to be complementary to its global brand ambassadors effort, will see the pop culture artist work with the retailer on developing LifeWear products—starting with Uniqlo’s fall 2025 collection.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 16 Sep. 2025
These complementary efforts of fieldwork geology and the more digital world of computer modeling, in which geochemical data, fossils and ancient tectonics are paired with Earth system models, have helped pull back the veil on our deep past.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complementary
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Allan J. Lichtman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Marchetti's memoir demonstrates that the geeky kid from Ravenna and the global fashion icon are complementary facets of a life lived at the intersection of beauty and technology.
—Pooja Shah, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The concept, intended to be complementary to its global brand ambassadors effort, will see the pop culture artist work with the retailer on developing LifeWear products—starting with Uniqlo’s fall 2025 collection.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 16 Sep. 2025
These complementary efforts of fieldwork geology and the more digital world of computer modeling, in which geochemical data, fossils and ancient tectonics are paired with Earth system models, have helped pull back the veil on our deep past.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 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
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