complement
complement Lexical Profile
complement Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A thing that completes, brings to perfection, or goes well with something else.
"The tart cranberry sauce is an ideal complement to the rich roast turkey."
A number or quantity of something, especially that required to make a group complete.
"The research vessel cannot set sail until it has a full complement of crew members and scientists."
A word, phrase, or clause added to a verb to complete the meaning of the predicate in a sentence.
"In the sentence 'She became a doctor,' the noun phrase 'a doctor' functions as the subject complement."
The amount by which an angle is less than ninety degrees, or the elements not included in a given mathematical set.
"Because the given angle measures thirty degrees, its geometric complement is sixty degrees."
• verb
To add to something in a way that enhances or improves it; to make something complete.
"The warm wooden furniture nicely complements the natural stone walls of the cabin."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'complement' (something that completes or enhances another thing) with its homophone 'compliment' (an expression of praise or admiration).
• Rhymes for complement
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English, via Old French from Latin complementum ('that which fills up or completes'), derived from complēre ('to fill up').