ancillary
Americanadjective
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subordinate; secondary; subsidiary.
Your medical coverage includes physiotherapy, eye testing, and other ancillary services.
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auxiliary; assisting.
The bookkeeper serves in an ancillary role, supporting the treasurer.
noun
plural
ancillariesadjective
-
subsidiary
-
auxiliary; supplementary
ancillary services
noun
Etymology
Origin of ancillary
First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin ancillāris “having the status of a handmaid or female servant” + -ary adjective suffix; ancilla, -ary
Explanation
If you use the adjective ancillary to describe your position you are subordinate or supporting something or someone else. The adjective ancillary originally meant "relating to maidservants" from the Latin, but the element of a female servant has fallen away and now the word merely refers to a position as helpful or subordinate. An example of how something in medicine can be ancillary is after you have surgery you may also take a drug to aid healing — the drug would be considered ancillary to the surgery. One could also argue that in the United States the vice-president takes an ancillary role to the president.
Vocabulary lists containing ancillary
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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"The Mosquito Solution," Vocabulary from the science article
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2015 National Spelling Bee Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Does the deal include software, ancillary components, operating procedures etc?
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
HOA fees are ancillary housing costs, along with property taxes and home insurance, that all add to homeowners’ monthly expenses.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
"The movie has strong ancillary business, merchandising, and theme park potential, and it's going to be very profitable."
From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026
In addition, they have increased their ancillary fees, including fuel surcharges, address-correction fees and an added charge for delivering to residences.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
Each of these main departments involved changes in ancillary manufactures, such as cables, switches, transformers, meters, &c., so that the electrical manufacturing industry has been in a constant state of transition.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 2 "Ehud" to "Electroscope" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
