complementary

/,kɔmpli'mentəri/

Thân thiện

The artist chose complementary colors for the painting.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole): Describing two or more things that combine to form a complete, balanced, or perfect entity. Each part supplies what the other lacks.
   • Of words or propositions so related that each is the negation of the other: In logic or linguistics, describing terms that are mutually exclusive and together cover all possibilities within a given context.

2. Noun:

   • Either one of two chromatic colors that when mixed together give white (in the case of lights) or grey (in the case of pigments): In color theory, one of a pair of colors that are directly opposite each other on a color wheel.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:

  • The two researchers have complementary skills; one is excellent at theory, and the other is great at practical experiments.
  • In a healthy ecosystem, the roles of predators and prey are complementary.
  • The words "supply" and "demand" are often seen as complementary concepts in economics.

• Noun:

  • In painting, red and green are complementaries.
  • When mixing light, if you combine blue and its complementary, yellow, you get white light.

Advanced Usage

• Complementary distribution: In linguistics, a relationship where two linguistic elements (like sounds or forms) never appear in the same environment.

  • The two allophones of the phoneme /p/ in English are in complementary distribution; the aspirated version [pʰ] occurs at the beginning of a stressed syllable, while the unaspirated [p] occurs elsewhere.

• Complementary angles: In geometry, two angles whose measures add up to 90 degrees.

  • A 30-degree angle and a 60-degree angle are complementary angles.

Variants and Related Words

• Complement (noun/verb): The thing that completes or goes perfectly with something else; to add to something in a way that improves it.

  • Wine is often considered the perfect complement to cheese. (Noun)
  • The dark wood furniture complements the light walls beautifully. (Verb)

• Complementarity (noun): The state or relationship of being complementary.

  • The complementarity of their personalities makes them a strong team.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Supplementary, reciprocal, correlative, matching, interdependent.
• Noun (color): Opposite color.

Antonyms

• Adjective: Contradictory, incompatible, conflicting, same, identical.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Complementary medicine: Healthcare practices used alongside conventional medical treatments.

  • Acupuncture is a form of complementary medicine often used to manage pain.

• Complementary goods: In economics, products that are often used together, so that demand for one increases demand for the other.

  • Printers and ink cartridges are classic examples of complementary goods.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole)
2. of words or propositions so related that each is the negation of the other
   • `male' and `female' are complementary terms

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

Từ đồng nghĩa

• complemental
• completing
• complementary color