Definition of composite
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: made up of distinct parts or elements
a composite photograph composite materials
: such as
a
capitalized
: relating to or being a modification of the Corinthian order combining angular Ionic volutes with the acanthus-circled bell of the Corinthian
b
: of or relating to a very large family (Compositae synonym Asteraceae) of dicotyledonous herbs, shrubs, and trees often considered to be the most highly evolved plants and characterized by florets arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers
c
: factorable into two or more prime factors other than 1 and itself
8 is a positive composite integer.
2
: combining the typical or essential characteristics of individuals making up a group
… the composite man called the Poet …— Richard Poirier … the knight was a composite portrait of men whom Chaucer personally knew.— John Livingston Lowes
3
of a statistical hypothesis
: specifying a range of values for one or more statistical parameters — compare simple sense 10
4
of a video signal
: having two signal components (such as chrominance and luminance) combined in a single channel
For years, commercial television equipment has relied upon composite video cabling, which carries both brightness (luminance) and color (chroma) in a single cable. Problem is, before your television can produce a picture from this signal, it must be heavily filtered, resulting in serious degradation of image quality. — Home Theater Buyer's Guide
— compare component entry 2 sense 2
5
: an artist's sketch or digitally generated image of a criminal suspect usually created from witnesses's descriptions and used to help police identify and apprehend the suspect
a police composite Police have released a composite of the suspect based on a description from the victim of the April 4 robbery.— Jim Jaworski
composite
nounDefinition of composite (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: something composite : compound
a composite of two images
2
: a composite (see composite entry 1 sense 1b) plant
daisies, dandelions, and other composites
4
: a solid material which is composed of two or more substances having different physical characteristics and in which each substance retains its identity while contributing desirable properties to the whole
especially
: a structural material made of plastic within which a fibrous material (such as silicon carbide) is embedded
composite
verb
composited; compositing
Definition of composite (Entry 3 of 3)
: to make composite or into something composite
composited four soil samples composite the images
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Thing: Flower Edition
-
- Name that flower

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Anagram puzzles meet word search.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Name that Thing: Flower Edition
Can you correctly identify these flowers?
Take the quiz -
The Exceptions Quiz III
Which of these things doesn't belong?
Take the quiz -
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Take the quiz -
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!
Play the game
Share composite
Time Traveler for composite
The first known use of composite was in 1563
See more words from the same year