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 show is being forged as a high-end returning TV series and publisher Transworld has already acquired world English-language rights to the novel plus its sequel, which won’t publish until 2028 and 2029 respectively. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Recently, 10 year and 30 year US Treasury yields reached their highest levels since 2007 and 2002, respectively. — CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

China’s leading model developers, Zhipu AI and MiniMax, beat OpenAI and Anthropic to the public markets—but their Hong Kong IPOs in January raised just $558 million and $620 million respectively, despite heavy over-subscription. — Alvin Yap, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Each boy, age 13 and 12 respectively, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare, fatal muscle-wasting disease. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 7 Oct. 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