adjunct

[ aj-uhngkt ]

noun

1. something added to another thing but not essential to it.

   Synonyms: supplement, appendix

2. a person associated with lesser status, rank, authority, etc., in some duty or service; assistant.

   Synonyms: attaché, aide

3. a person working at an institution, as a college or university, without having full or permanent status:

   My lawyer works two nights a week as an adjunct, teaching business law at the college.

4. Grammar. a modifying form, word, or phrase depending on some other form, word, or phrase, especially an element of clause structure with adverbial function.

adjective

1. joined or associated, especially in an auxiliary or subordinate relationship.
2. attached or belonging without full or permanent status:

   an adjunct surgeon on the hospital staff.

adjunct

/ ˈædʒʌŋkt; əˈdʒʌŋktɪv /

noun

1. something incidental or not essential that is added to something else
2. a person who is subordinate to another
3. grammar
   1. part of a sentence other than the subject or the predicate
   2. (in systemic grammar) part of a sentence other than the subject, predicator, object, or complement; usually a prepositional or adverbial group
   3. part of a sentence that may be omitted without making the sentence ungrammatical; a modifier
4. logic another name for accident

adjective

1. added or connected in a secondary or subordinate position; auxiliary

Derived Forms

• ˈadjunctly, adverb
• adjunctive, adjective

Other Words From

• ad·junctly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjunct¹

1580–90; < Latin adjunctus joined to (past participle of adjungere ), equivalent to ad- ad- + jung- (nasal variant of jug- yoke ¹ ) + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjunct¹

C16: from Latin adjunctus, past participle of adjungere to adjoin

Synonym Study

See addition.

Example Sentences

Remember that about 70% of college instructors are adjunct professors who have few job protections.

From Los Angeles Times

Hiring adjuncts with industry experience could advise students how to find entry-level work in their future career.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2006, he left to start a rival crocodile consultancy business alongside his wife, and later also took on an adjunct research role at Charles Darwin University.

From BBC

Getting enough rest is an important factor in school success, said Alvord, adjunct professor at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

From Los Angeles Times

“But it is an incredible adjunct, particularly for treating areas which have previously been challenging with injectables such as the eye area.”

From Salon