complementary color

American  

noun

1. Art.

   1. one of a pair of primary or secondary colors opposed to the other member of the pair on a schematic chart or scale color wheel, as green opposed to red, orange opposed to blue, or violet opposed to yellow.

   2. the relationship of these pairs of colors perceived as completing or enhancing each other.

2. secondary color.

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complementary color Scientific  

1. A secondary color that, when combined with the primary color whose wavelength it does not contain, produces white light. Thus yellow, which is produced by mixing the primary colors red and green, is the complementary color of blue.

2. See Note at color

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Etymology

Origin of complementary color

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Inspired by a print on wood by Australian photographer Sarah Bahbah in his dining room, Piña decorated the living and dining room in a complementary color palette.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2025

With that in mind, I went ahead and swapped out the nickel hardware for brass, painted the walls a complementary color, and what do you know?

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2022

If you set a photo as your wallpaper, the phone will suggest a complementary color palette to apply to buttons and icons.

From The Verge • Jan. 13, 2022

Choosing a complementary color for your front door always works.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2021

Nor is this carpet a monochrome, for the green is varied by numerous berries of various kinds, most of which are red, as they should be,—the complementary color of green.

From With the World's Great Travellers, Volume 2 by Various