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

Last summer, Tyler Morton and Quansah, team-mates who are of a similar age to Stephenson, moved to French club Lyon and Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen respectively, and have since flourished. —Andy Jones, New York Times, 10 June 2026

In a May 27 poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, Wood and Baldacci led the field with 23% and 22%, respectively, with Dunlap (17%) and Loud (14%) following. —Margie Cullen, USA Today, 9 June 2026

Two British men were sentenced in March to nine and 11 years in prison respectively after they were found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Bali. —CBS News, 9 June 2026

The dataset, which analyzes 2024 data, rated Connecticut highly in education and health, ranking third and fourth respectively. —Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 9 June 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