adj · noun · 11 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ɹɪˈsɪpɹək(ə)l/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:R IH0 S IH1 P R AH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of a feeling, action or such: mutual, uniformly felt or done by each party towards the other or others; two-way.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
reciprocal love
reciprocal duties
a reciprocal invitation to lunch
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: reciprocating
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Mutually interchangeable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs; also in a broad sense: reflexive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
(mathematics) one of a pair of numbers whose product is 1: the reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2; the multiplicative inverse of 7 is 1/7
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: multiplicative inverse
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: inverse, opposite
11
noun
Meaning 11
something (a term or expression or concept) that has a reciprocal relation to something else
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
risk is the reciprocal of safety
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: reciprocality, reciprocity
History
Etymology
From Latin reciprocus, possibly from a phrase such as reque proque (“back and forth, to and fro”), from re- (“back”), prō (“forwards”) and -que (“and”).
Across languages
Translations
99 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مُتَبَادَل
(mutabādal)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Belarusian:
узае́мны
(uzajémny)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Bulgarian:
взаи́мен
(vzaímen)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Catalan:
recíproc
— done by each of two people towards the other
Catalan:
mutu
— done by each of two people towards the other
Chinese Mandarin:
相互
(xiānghù)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Chinese Mandarin:
互相
(hùxiāng)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Chinese Mandarin:
互惠
(hùhuì)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Czech:
vzájemný
— done by each of two people towards the other
Czech:
reciproký
— done by each of two people towards the other
Danish:
reciprok
— done by each of two people towards the other
Esperanto:
reciproka
— done by each of two people towards the other
Finnish:
vastavuoroinen
— done by each of two people towards the other
French:
réciproque
— done by each of two people towards the other
Galician:
recíproco
— done by each of two people towards the other
Georgian:
ორმხრივი
(ormxrivi)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Georgian:
თანაზიარი
(tanaziari)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Georgian:
ურთიერთზიარი
(urtiertziari)
— done by each of two people towards the other
German:
gegenseitig
— done by each of two people towards the other
German:
reziprok
— done by each of two people towards the other
Greek:
αμοιβαίος
(amoivaíos)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Hebrew:
הדדי
(hadadi)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Hindi:
आपसी
(āpsī)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Hindi:
पारस्परिक
(pārasparik)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Hungarian:
kölcsönös
— done by each of two people towards the other
Hungarian:
viszonos
— done by each of two people towards the other
Indonesian:
timbal balik
— done by each of two people towards the other
Latin:
mūtuus
— done by each of two people towards the other
Latin:
reciprocus
— done by each of two people towards the other
Lithuanian:
savitarpinis
— done by each of two people towards the other
Macedonian:
взаемен
(vzaemen)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Māori:
whakautuutu
— done by each of two people towards the other
Norwegian Bokmål:
gjensidig
— done by each of two people towards the other
Norwegian Nynorsk:
gjensidig
— done by each of two people towards the other
Polish:
obopólny
— done by each of two people towards the other
Polish:
obustronny
— done by each of two people towards the other
Polish:
wzajemny
— done by each of two people towards the other
Portuguese:
recíproco
— done by each of two people towards the other
Romanian:
reciproc
— done by each of two people towards the other
Romanian:
reciprocă
— done by each of two people towards the other
Russian:
взаи́мный
(vzaímnyj)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Russian:
обою́дный
(obojúdnyj)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Serbo-Croatian:
узајаман
— done by each of two people towards the other
Serbo-Croatian:
uzajaman
— done by each of two people towards the other
Slovak:
vzájomný
— done by each of two people towards the other
Slovene:
vzajemen
— done by each of two people towards the other
Spanish:
mutuo
— done by each of two people towards the other
Spanish:
recíproco
— done by each of two people towards the other
Swedish:
ömsesidig
— done by each of two people towards the other
Turkish:
çift taraflı
— done by each of two people towards the other
Turkish:
karşılıklı
— done by each of two people towards the other
Ukrainian:
взає́мний
(vzajémnyj)
— done by each of two people towards the other
Vietnamese:
đối ứng
— done by each of two people towards the other
Volapük:
rezipik
— done by each of two people towards the other
Welsh:
cilyddol
— done by each of two people towards the other
Welsh:
dwyochrog
— done by each of two people towards the other
French:
réciproque
— grammar: expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs
Hungarian:
kölcsönös
— grammar: expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs
Kazakh:
ортақ
(ortaq)
— grammar: expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs
Polish:
zwrotny
— grammar: expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs
Bulgarian:
реципро́чен
(recipróčen)
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Catalan:
al revés
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Catalan:
a l'inrevés
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Finnish:
päinvastainen
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Georgian:
საპასუხო
(saṗasuxo)
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Georgian:
ნაცვალგების
(nacvalgebis)
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
German:
entgegengesetzt
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
German:
umgekehrt
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Hungarian:
viszonzó
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Hungarian:
viszont-
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Māori:
whakautuutu
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Norwegian Bokmål:
gjensidig
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Norwegian Nynorsk:
gjensidig
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Polish:
odwrotny
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Romanian:
invers
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Russian:
обра́тный
(obrátnyj)
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Spanish:
al revés
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Vietnamese:
đối ứng
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
Welsh:
cilyddol
— done, given, felt, or owed in return
