corollary

noun

cor·ol·lary ˈkȯr-ə-ˌler-ē

ˈkär-,

-le-rē,

British kə-ˈrä-lə-rē

plural corollaries

Synonyms of corollary next

: a proposition (see proposition entry 1 sense 1c) inferred immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof

: something that naturally follows : result

… love was a stormy passion and jealousy its normal corollary.—

Ida Treat

: something that incidentally or naturally accompanies or parallels

A corollary to the problem of the number of vessels to be built was that of the types of vessels to be constructed.—

Daniel Marx

corollary adjective

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The Origin and Evolution of Corollary

Not ones to rest on our laurels here in the Word of the Day hothouse, today we are pleased to offer some flowery prose on the history of the word corollary—not because it is rhetorically elegant (though it may be) but because its history is related to flowers. Indeed, the seed of corollary was planted initially by the Latin noun corōlla meaning “small wreath of flowers,” which later bloomed into another Latin noun, corōllārium, referring to a garland given as a reward as well as to a gratuity or an unsolicited payment. Just as one tips their server at the conclusion of a meal, you might think of a modern-day corollary as something that naturally follows or accompanies something else in natural course. The formality of corollary is thanks to its formal roots: the word first figured in logical proofs as a term for a proposition that can be inferred immediately from something that's just been proved—the corollary follows logically as a result of the statement before it.

Examples of corollary in a Sentence

one corollary of the rise of television was a massive makeover of radio's programming increased taxes—or expanding deficits—are the inevitable corollary to any new government spending program

Recent Examples on the Web Roy Kapur says that while driving down prices attract larger numbers of consumers, the corollary is that increasing prices becomes that much more difficult. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Aug. 2023 Other corollaries to pollinator gardens include attracting beneficial insects, reducing water needs and encouraging birds. —

John Benson, cleveland, 24 July 2023 But here is its corollary: There are no such expectations of Donald Trump. —

Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 10 July 2023 Global temperatures are rising at pretty much the anticipated rate, Simon Lee, an atmospheric scientist at Columbia University, told me, and natural disasters are corollaries to that fact. —

Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 13 July 2023 Banks is meant to be its corollary, the surf to its turf — an elevated classic woven into the city’s post-work, business-entertainment landscape. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023 There is an additional corollary associated with that hypothesis. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 That major European pharmaceutical companies are now admitting to deprioritizing Europe, a trend that has been afoot for many years behind closed doors, substantiates the corollary. —

WSJ, 26 Jan. 2023 Enter Email Sign Up This breakthrough insight and its corollaries have now permeated all aspects of money management, with few professionals unfamiliar with his work. —

Robert D. Hershey Jr., BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corollary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English correlary, corolarie, borrowed from Late Latin corōllārium, going back to Latin, "garland (given as a reward), unsolicited payment, gratuity," from corōlla "small wreath of flowers" + -ārium -ary entry 1 — more at corolla

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of corollary was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century