complement

Something that adds what another thing needs, making the whole better or complete.

• The salad is a perfect complement.
• Her skills are a useful complement to ours.
• These illustrations provide an attractive complement to the text.

How to use it: a complement to something (The sauce is a lovely complement to the fish.)

Common phrases: perfect complement, complement to something, natural complement

A word or phrase that completes a sentence structure, often describing its subject or object.

• This verb needs a complement.
• In “She is happy”, “happy” is the subject complement.
• The teacher asked us to identify the complements.

Common phrases: subject complement, object complement, verb complement

The full number of people needed to operate a ship.

• The ship carries its full complement.
• Our complement includes six officers.
• The vessel sailed with a complement of eighty sailors.

How to use it: a complement of people (The vessel has a complement of forty sailors.)

Similar words: crew

Common phrases: full complement, crew complement, complement of sailors

An angle that adds to another angle to make ninety degrees.

• Find the complement of this angle.
• These two angles are complements of each other.
• An angle of forty degrees has a complement of fifty degrees.

How to use it: the complement of something (The complement of thirty degrees is sixty degrees.)

Similar words: complementary angle

Common phrases: complement of something, find the complement, angle and complement

A colour that combines with another to make white light or a neutral dark mixture.

• Orange is blue’s complement on this colour wheel.
• The artist mixed a colour with its complement.
• Adding its complement made the paint look darker and less bright.

How to use it: the complement of something (This colour is the complement of that shade of blue.)

Similar words: complementary colour

Common phrases: colour complement, complement of something, exact complement

The members of a larger set that are not in a particular smaller set.

• Find the complement of set A.
• The complement contains all numbers outside the chosen set.
• Within the integers, the odd numbers are the complement of the even numbers.

How to use it: the complement of a set (The complement of this set contains all the remaining elements.)

Common phrases: complement of something, set complement, relative complement

To work well with someone or something because each provides what the other needs.

• These colours complement each other.
• The wine complemented the cheese beautifully.
• Her careful planning complements his creative ideas.

Similar words: go well with, enhance

Opposites: clash

Common phrases: complement each other, complement something perfectly, complement a meal

To add something needed so that another thing becomes complete.

• These skills complement our team.
• The final painting complemented his collection.
• You can complement the course with extra reading.

How to use it: complement something with something (She complemented her training with practical experience.)

Similar words: complete, round out

Common phrases: complement a team, complement something with something, complement a collection