What does "complement" mean?
The totality, the full amount or number which completes something.
Complement
/ˈkɑmpləmənt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The totality, the full amount or number which completes something.
- Grammar: complement is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accompaniment, a to izzard, a to z, accession.
- Useful contrasts: belonging, cannibalizing, clash.
- Usage evidence: In English, the usual sentence structure is Subject - Verb - Object/Complement.
How to use "complement"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "complement" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "complement" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "complement" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "complement" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "complement" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accompaniment" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "complement", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The totality, the full amount or number which completes something. countable, uncountable
"Queequeg sought a passage to Christian lands. But the ship, having her full complement of seamen, spurned his suit; and not all the King his father's influence could prevail."
- 2 Obsolete spelling or misspelling of compliment. countable, uncountable
"A man of complements"
- 3 something added to complete or embellish or make perfect wordnet
- 4 The whole working force of a vessel. countable, uncountable
- 5 either of two parts that mutually complete each other wordnet
Show 24 more definitions
- 6 An angle which, together with a given angle, makes a right angle. countable, uncountable
- 7 a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction wordnet
- 8 Something which completes, something which combines with something else to make up a complete whole; loosely, something perceived to be a harmonious or desirable partner or addition. countable, uncountable
"History is the complement of poetry."
- 9 number needed to make up a whole force wordnet
- 10 A word or group of words that completes a grammatical construction in the predicate and that describes or is identified with the subject or object. countable, uncountable
"Why has our grammar broken down at this point? It is not difficult to see why. For, we have failed to make any provision for the fact that only some Verbs in English (i.e. Verbs like those italicized in (5) (a), traditionally called Transitive Verbs) subcategorize ( = ‘takeʼ) an immediately following NP Complement, whereas others (such as those italicised in (5) (b), traditionally referred to as Intransitive Verbs) do not."
- 11 a complete number or quantity wordnet
- 12 A phonetic complement is a graphic element that modifies another, such as (in Linear B script) a small syllabogram that is attached to a logogram as an abbreviation of its reading (as opposed to an adjunct that abbreviates an adjective that modifies that logogram). countable, uncountable
- 13 one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response wordnet
- 14 An interval which, together with the given interval, makes an octave. countable, uncountable
- 15 The color which, when mixed with the given color, gives black (for mixing pigments) or white (for mixing light). countable, uncountable
"The complement of blue is orange."
- 16 Given two sets, the set containing one set's elements that are not members of the other set (whether a relative complement or an absolute complement). countable, uncountable
"The complement of the odd numbers is the even numbers, relative to the natural numbers."
- 17 One of several blood proteins that work with antibodies during an immune response. countable, uncountable
- 18 An expression related to some other expression such that it is true under the same conditions that make other false, and vice versa. countable, uncountable
- 19 A voltage level with the opposite logical sense to the given one. countable, uncountable
- 20 A bit with the opposite value to the given one; the logical complement of a number. countable, uncountable
- 21 The diminished radix complement of a number; the nines' complement of a decimal number; the ones' complement of a binary number. countable, uncountable
"The complement of 01100101#95;2 is 10011010#95;2."
- 22 The radix complement of a number; the two's complement of a binary number. countable, uncountable
"The complement of 01100101#95;2 is 10011011#95;2."
- 23 The numeric complement of a number. countable, uncountable
"The complement of −123 is 123."
- 24 A nucleotide sequence in which each base is replaced by the complementary base of the given sequence: adenine (A) by thymine (T) or uracil (U), cytosine (C) by guanine (G), and vice versa. countable, uncountable
"A DNA molecule is formed from two strands, each of which is the complement of the other."
- 25 Synonym of alexin. countable, uncountable
- 26 Abbreviation of complementary good. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 27 Something (or someone) that completes; the consummation. archaic, countable, uncountable
"perform all those works of mercy, which Clemens Alexandrinus calls amoris et amicitiæ impletionem et extentionem, the extent and complement of love[…]."
- 28 The act of completing something, or the fact of being complete; completion, completeness, fulfilment. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"And both encreast the prayse of woman kynde, / And both encreast her beautie excellent: / So all did make in her a perfect complement."
- 29 Something which completes one's equipment, dress etc.; an accessory. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"A doleful case desires a doleful song, Without vain art or curious complements."
Verb
- 1 To complete, to bring to perfection, to make whole.
"We believe your addition will complement the team."
- 2 Obsolete spelling or misspelling of compliment.
- 3 make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to wordnet
- 4 To provide what the partner lacks and lack what the partner provides, thus forming part of a whole.
"The flavors of the pepper and garlic complement each other, giving a very rich taste in combination."
- 5 To change a voltage, number, color, etc. to its complement.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"In English, the usual sentence structure is Subject - Verb - Object/Complement."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "complement"?
Common synonyms include: accompaniment, a to izzard, a to z, accession, accessory, accompaniment.
How do you use "complement" in a sentence?
In English, the usual sentence structure is Subject - Verb - Object/Complement.
How do you pronounce "complement"?
Pronounced /ˈkɑmpləmənt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English complement, from Latin complēmentum (“that which fills up or completes”), from compleō (“I fill up, I complete”) (English complete). Doublet of compliment. The verb is from the noun.
Etymology 2
See compliment.