corollary

noun

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

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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

There are corollary benefits to this limited loan forgiveness, as well. — CNN, "The candidates are wrong. It's a mistake to pay off college graduates' debt," 3 July 2019 Time is a central theme, like Avdhut’s (Ahay Mahajan) resistance to being forced to follow it slavishly, and a corollary is that the pace is meditative and slow-moving. — Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Trijya - Radius': Film Review | Shanghai 2019," 1 July 2019 Not much mentioned is the corollary: That means three-quarters would rather see the question go away. — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "Why Pelosi Continues to Deflect the Censure Gambit," 22 June 2019 The logical corollary is that any senior staff members who have been in their job for an extended period are incompetent. — The Economist, "The promotion curse," 20 June 2019 The prominence of this forum demonstrates how several candidates are looking to engage Christian progressives, as a corollary to the power Christian conservatives have in influencing the Republican Party. — Grace Segers, CBS News, "2020 candidates to face questions from low-income Americans at forum," 15 June 2019 One such principle is that every American deserves legal representation, and a corollary is that lawyers don’t have to agree with their clients to represent them. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Josh Hawley’s Legal Principles," 30 May 2019 My own corollary is that more money has been lost reaching for tax advantages than all the stock swindles in history. — WSJ, "Securities Buyers Beware of Mad Muni-Bond Mania," 11 Apr. 2019 Australian actress Sarah Snook plays Shiv Roy, the brainy but passed-over-because-she’s-female daughter that is seen as a close corollary to Murdoch’s second child, Elisabeth. — Ben Widdicombe, Town & Country, "Confirmed: Yes, Rupert Murdoch's Family Enjoys Watching "Succession"," 8 Apr. 2019

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.