Complementary Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of COMPLEMENTARY

[more complementary; most complementary]

1

:

completing something else or making it better

:

serving as a complement

• She wore a new outfit with a complementary scarf.

2

— used of two things when each adds something to the other or helps to make the other better

• The print and online publications are complementary, not competitive.
• The company owes its success to the complementary talents of its co-owners.

3

:

going together well

:

working well together

• My spouse and I have complementary goals.
• complementary flavors

4

:

not traditional

:

alternative

• complementary medicine [=alternative medicine; methods of healing or treating disease that are different from the usual methods taught in Western medical schools]

◊ Do not confuse complementary with complimentary.