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

The market adoption for more commercial shades of blue and brown is growing, 23 percent and 75 percent, respectively. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 23 June 2026

In South Korea, the Kospi index plunged 10% as shares of Samsung and SK Hynix—the country’s two largest companies by market capitalization, respectively—plummeted more than 12% each. — Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

The knob controls volume and can be clicked to pause and resume content (double- or triple-clicking skips and reverses songs, respectively). — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 23 June 2026

France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland, two of the game’s best strikers, took advantage in their matches against Iraq and Senegal, respectively. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 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