adjective

• 1Combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize the qualities of each other or another.

  ‘they had different but complementary skills’

  More example sentences

  • ‘the second TV network was complementary to the BBC’
  • ‘As this passage suggests, the argument he is about to undertake is different from, and complementary to, the previous argument concerning the non-contractual aspects of contract.’
  • ‘Section five deals with various points of view of the religions and how they are supplementary and complementary to each other.’
  • ‘While discovery and choice compete as the basis of identity, knowledge and choice are essentially complementary to each other.’
  • ‘All three modalities are complementary to each other and can be used alone or in combination.’
  • ‘The two industries are complementary to each other and therefore are not in any direct competition.’
  • ‘We focus on the mainstream retail clients, so the two businesses are complementary to each other.’
  • ‘This type of situation would appear to present two problems which are complementary to each other.’
  • ‘These two approaches are likely to be complementary to each other.’
  • ‘Its economies are complementary to each other, leaving ample room for exchanges and representing common interests either bilaterally or on an international level to further a free system of trade.’
  • ‘In so doing, general practitioners have shown that the intellectual framework within which they operate is different from, complementary to, but no less demanding than that of specialists.’
  • ‘It is true that he was responsible for the technical side of this project, but creatively, and on a production level, both felt they were very complementary to each other.’
  • ‘The technologies are complementary to each other, so there is no automatic choice.’
  • ‘Its champions, however, see it, not just as complementary to the earlier emphasis on whole organisms but as a new gospel which ought to replace it.’
  • ‘The arm sequences flanking either side of the probe are complementary to each other but are unrelated to the target sequence.’
  • ‘The top exponents of this system are experts in grappling and knowledge of this skill would be very complementary to any martial art.’
  • ‘However, they work by mechanisms that are completely different and yet complementary to the use of salvia.’
  • ‘More recently, however, the two programmes are adopting approaches that are becoming more complementary to each other with enormous scope for learning from each other's experience.’
  • ‘But what if we imagined an entirely different developmental model (or at least one complementary to that of traditional scholarship)?’
  • ‘Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting dinners to enjoy complementary combinations of different tastes.’
  • ‘We are hoping that whoever comes forward will provide the town with a building which is complementary to the style of the remainder of the Pier Hill redevelopment.’

  Synonyms

  harmonizing, harmonious, complementing, supportive, supporting, reciprocal, interdependent, interrelated, compatible, corresponding, matching, twin

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1Biochemistry (of gene sequences, nucleotides, etc.) related by the rules of base pairing.
     ‘a pair of complementary oligonucleotides were synthesized’
     More example sentences

     • ‘By using complementary sequences of DNA molecules that were attached to different nanocrystals, small groupings of gold nanocrystals could be formed.’
     • ‘The bottom strand of the substrate is the complementary sequence of the top strand.’
     • ‘Specific genes are then identified and quantified by hybridization to a labelled DNA probe of a complementary sequence.’
     • ‘We report unbinding force measurements between complementary strands of DNA as a function of temperature.’
     • ‘There is no clear correlation between transitions in consecutive positions or on complementary strands of the DNA at the same positions, and both cases have been observed.’
     • ‘The DNA samples were denatured after irradiation, a primer was annealed to one of the strands, and a complementary strand was constructed using a polymerase enzyme.’

• 2attributive Relating to complementary medicine.

  ‘complementary therapies such as aromatherapy’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The most popular complementary therapies among participants were Diet, Herbalism, Homeopathy and Aromatherapy.’
  • ‘Neil is a senior lecturer at two leading complementary therapy colleges and has two busy homeopathic practices.’
  • ‘For this reason, many people turn to complementary therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture and herbal remedies.’
  • ‘She is based in Worcestershire and travels internationally sharing her knowledge from her nine years experience of complementary therapies in both private practice and the NHS.’
  • ‘This major set of experiences were key to me exploring various complementary therapies and to my awakening to the spiritual or ‘energy’ nature of all things.’
  • ‘He has been interested in self-development and complementary therapies since 1995.’
  • ‘Melissa has been studying and exploring a wide range of complementary therapies over the past seven years.’
  • ‘Most of the complementary therapies at our disposal have been around for millennia.’
  • ‘It offers a range of complementary therapies such as aromatherapy massage, acupuncture, arts and crafts, drama and music.’
  • ‘Other forms of complementary therapy include acupuncture and chiropractic care.’
  • ‘Prior to the study, volunteers completed medical history questionnaires and reported experiences of other complementary therapy.’
  • ‘These facts have led many patients to seek symptom relief through the use of alternative and/or complementary therapies.’
  • ‘The aim was to assess the effectiveness of any type of complementary therapy for peripheral arterial disease.’
  • ‘What else can we say about modern medicine and complementary therapies?’
  • ‘Lynn sees reflexology as a complementary treatment, as opposed to alternative.’
  • ‘Reasoning is not the only area in which many commentators on complementary and alternative medicine discard their usual rigour: this is also evident, less excusably, over basic facts.’
  • ‘Experts in three complementary and alternative medicine disciplines, acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic, will also speak.’
  • ‘The book tidily covers an introduction to many complementary and alternative medical therapies in a highly readable format.’
  • ‘As complementary medicine grows the public may become more careful of its claims.’
  • ‘The proposal that complementary health practitioners be certified has been referred to state governments.’