supplementary

adjective

ˌsə-plə-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce supplementary (audio)
Definition of supplementarynext
1
as in auxiliary
available to supply something extra when needed the teacher's edition of the textbook comes with a lot of supplementary material

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complementary
related to each other in such a way that one completes the other regards theology and philosophy as supplementary fields of study

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of supplementary The public evidence—exhibits, hearings, et cetera—was piled into the supplementary volumes. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026 For the dependency support test, basic and supplementary Medicare benefits are not counted as support. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026 Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration had enacted a supplementary budget of 3 trillion yen to shield households from rising energy costs, months after passing the yearly budget. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 June 2026 The fundraising figures came in supplementary filings to the Federal Election Commission ahead of the June 23 primary covering the second quarter up to June 3. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for supplementary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supplementary
  1. auxiliary
  2. complementary
  3. additional
  4. reciprocal
  5. supplemental
  6. accessory
Adjective
  • Rush is also bucking tradition by employing an auxiliary musician, Loren Gold, on keyboards and backing vocals.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Gerardi’s stature continued to rise when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Guatemala in 1984.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026
Definition of auxiliary
Adjective
  • Content moves through the pipeline faster, making speed and governance complementary rather than competing priorities.
    — Jamie Garverick, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • But that overlooks the far larger number of proposals that never reach financial close because critical complementary investments never materialize.
    — Bright Simons, semafor.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of complementary
Adjective
  • MetroLoft added roughly 18,000 square feet to 15 upper floors, and the additional load caused two columns to bend, Berman said.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 9 July 2026
  • The Middle Class Scholarship program, which offers students up to $250,000 in scholarships to attend state universities and community colleges, is receiving nearly $167 million in additional funding.
    — Charlie Borla, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
Definition of additional
Adjective
  • While this model is not appropriate for autistic persons with severe language disabilities, most autistic youth and adults have the reciprocal language to engage in a coaching relationship.
    — Doreen Samelson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • According to Tidal, the idea of Nas creating a playlist inspired by Jay-Z’s career was both reciprocal and congratulatory.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of reciprocal
Adjective
  • Math learning materials can be part of your child’s current math instruction or provide supplemental practice to improve concept mastery.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • Now, Graf plans to climb mountains that were off-limits before, even with supplemental oxygen.
    — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 8 July 2026
Definition of supplemental
Adjective
  • Of the 64 homes, 52 will be single-family residences for sale and 12 will be accessory dwelling units.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • Stellantis runs Mopar as a full business — more than 1,000 accessory parts, dozens of partners, Jeep Performance Parts, and a growing push to install at the factory.
    — Sarwant Singh, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of accessory

Browse Nearby Words

supplemental
supplementary
supplementation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Supplementary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supplementary. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on supplementary

Nglish: Translation of supplementary for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bibelot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All