Complementary definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

supplemental, conclusive, correspondent, corresponding, crowning, equivalent, fellow, integral, integrative, paired, parallel, reciprocal

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Complementary - 6 dictionary results

com⋅ple⋅men⋅ta⋅ry

[kom-pluh-men-tuh-ree, -tree]

adjective, noun, plural -ries.

–adjective

1.	forming a complement; completing.

2.	complementing each other.

–noun

3.	complementary color (def. 1).

Origin:
1590–1600; complement + -ary

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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com·ple·men·ta·ry (kŏm'plə-měn'tə-rē, -trē) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Forming or serving as a complement; completing.
Supplying mutual needs or offsetting mutual lacks.
Genetics Of or relating to a group of genes that act in concert to produce a specific phenotype.
Biochemistry Of or relating to the specific pairing of the purines and pyrimidines between strands of a DNA or an RNA molecule.

com'ple·men'ta·ri·ly (-tə-rə-lē, -trə-lē, -měn-târ'ə-lē) adv., com'ple·men'ta·ri·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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complementary
adjective
1.	of words or propositions so related that each is the negation of the other; "'male' and 'female' are complementary terms"
2.	acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole) [syn: complemental]
noun
1.	either one of two chromatic colors that when mixed together give white (in the case of lights) or grey (in the case of pigments); "yellow and blue are complementaries" [syn: complementary color]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Main Entry: com·ple·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: "käm-pl&-'ment-&-rE, -'men-trE
Function: adjective
1 : relatingto 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 determinesthe other —com·ple·men·ta·ri·ly /-'men-tr&-lE, -(")men-'ter-&-lE, -'ment-&-r&-lE/ adverb —com·ple·men·ta·ri·ness /-'ment-&-rE-n&s, -'men-trE-/ noun

Complementary

Com`ple*men"ta*ry\, a. Serving to fill out or to complete; as, complementary numbers.

Complementary colors. See under Color.

Complementary angles (Math.), two angles whose sum is 90[deg].

Complementary

Com`ple*men"ta*ry\, n. [See Complimentary.] One skilled in compliments. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.