adj · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:kŏm'plĭ-mĕnʹtə-rē
General-American:-trē
General-American:/ˌkɑmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/
homophone: complimentary
rhymes with -ɛntəɹi
rhymes with -ɛntɹi
CMU ARPABET:K AA2 M P L AH0 M EH1 N T R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:K AA2 M P L AH0 M EH1 N CH IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Acting as a complement; making up a whole with something else.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
I'll provide you with some complementary notes to help you study.
The two business partners had complementary abilities: one had excellent people skills, while the other had a head for figures.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of the specific pairings of the bases in DNA and RNA.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Pertaining to pairs of properties in quantum mechanics that are inversely related to each other, such as speed and position, or energy and time. (See also Heisenberg uncertainty principle.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
