corollary

noun

Save Word

cor·ol·lary | \ ˈkȯr-ə-ˌler-ē

, ˈkär-, -le-rē, British kə-ˈrä-lə-rē \

plural corollaries

Definition of corollary

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

2a : something that naturally follows : result … love was a stormy passion and jealousy its normal corollary.— Ida Treat

b : 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

Other Words from corollary Synonyms & Antonyms The Origin and Evolution of Corollary More Example Sentences Learn More about corollary

Keep scrolling for more

The Origin and Evolution of Corollary

Corollary comes from the Late Latin noun corollarium, which can be translated as "a garland given as a reward." "Corollarium" comes from the Latin corolla, meaning "small crown or garland." If you know that a garland or small crown was sometimes given to actors in addition to their pay, it makes sense that another sense of "corollarium" is "gratuity." Later, "corollarium" developed the philosophical sense of a supplementary proposition that follows directly from one that has been proved. (You can think of a corollary as a "bonus" that follows from the proof of something else.) The broader modern sense, "something that naturally follows," evolved from the philosophical one.

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 The final detail is simply a corollary to the fundamental truth: Do not talk about your own credibility or what will most motivate people. — Bill Conerly, Forbes, "Credibility: Business Lessons From FDA And CDC," 20 Apr. 2021 The bogus corollary to fat people being assumed to have all sorts of negative traits is, of course, that thin people are examples of living life righteously, virtuously and reaping the rewards from having done everything right. — Adele Jackson-gibson, Good Housekeeping, "What Is Thin Privilege?," 15 Apr. 2021 Like Mirren’s character Hespera, Liu’s Kalypso does not have an obvious corollary in DC Comics. — Adam B. Vary, chicagotribune.com, "‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ casts Lucy Liu as villain," 12 Apr. 2021 The Post had not embraced a corollary to its digital friendliness: an aggressive strategy to recruit readers and subscribers from beyond its geographic base. — New York Times, "How Marty Baron and Jeff Bezos Remade The Washington Post," 27 Feb. 2021 For me the corollary is the bench coach in baseball, that everyone recognizes is an important role. — Eric Hansen, The Indianapolis Star, "Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbick addresses football program," 1 Mar. 2021 This sharing might come as a corollary to the TRIPS exception, but the WTO can also encourage countries to sign an additional explicit commitment to this sharing. — Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, "The best ways to help poor countries get better access to Covid-19 treatments," 18 Feb. 2021 The New Orleans Pelicans were the latest victims of this scientific corollary, which crashed into them Tuesday night when the ultra-modern Utah Jazz pummeled the prehistoric Pelicans 118-102 in Salt Lake City. — Scott Kushner, NOLA.com, "Kushner: Pelicans' inability stop or make 3-pointers a sign they are behind the times," 20 Jan. 2021 This connection between physicality and righteousness created, as its dark corollary, a link between disability and moral failing. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "Strength Does Not Beat Viruses," 9 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'corollary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.