respectively

adverb

re·​spec·​tive·​ly ri-ˈspek-tiv-lē 

1

: in the order given

My cousin and I were respectively 12 and 16 years old.

2

: in particular : separately

could not recognize the solutions as salty or sour, respectively

Examples of respectively in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the frankfurter fest rolls on, with Chestnut and Miki Sudo set to defend last year's wins in the men's and women's divisions, respectively. — ABC News, 4 July 2026

Nissan shares have lost 45% of their value over the past five years, compared to 26% and 42% jumps for Honda and Toyota respectively. — Andrew Staples, Fortune, 3 July 2026

Mexico defeated past champions France and Germany in 2010 and 2018, respectively, but those wins came in the group stage. — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Kloss married the venture capitalist in 2018, and the couple welcomed two sons in 2021 and 2023, respectively, followed by a daughter in 2025. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 3 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for respectively

• ineffectively
• retrospectively
• affectively
• collectively
• defectively
• effectively
• objectively
• prospectively
• protectively
• reflectively
• selectively
• subjectively

Kids Definition

respectively

adverb

re·​spec·​tive·​ly

ri-ˈspek-tiv-lē

: each in the order given

John and Mary were 12 and 13 years old respectively