adjunct

1 of 2

noun

ad·​junct ˈa-ˌjəŋ(k)t 

1

: something joined or added to another thing but not essentially a part of it

The website is designed as an adjunct to the book.

2

grammar

a

: a word or word group that qualifies or completes the meaning of another word or other words and is not itself a main structural element in its sentence

b

: an adverb or adverbial phrase (such as heartily in "They ate heartily" or at noon in "We left at noon") attached to the verb of a clause especially to express a relation of time, place, frequency, degree, or manner compare disjunct sense 2

3

a

: an associate or assistant of another

b

: an adjunct faculty member at a college or university (see adjunct entry 2 sense 2)

4

: adjuvant sense b

adjunctive

a-ˈjəŋ(k)-tiv 

ə-

adjective

adjunct

2 of 2

adjective

1

: added or joined as an accompanying object or circumstance

2

: attached in a subordinate or temporary capacity to a staff

an adjunct professor

adjunctly

ˈa-ˌjəŋ(k)-tlē 

-ˌjəŋk-lē

adverb

Did you know?

Breaking Down Adjunct

With its prefix, ad-, meaning "to or toward", adjunct implies that one thing is "joined to" another. A car wash may be operated as an adjunct to a gas station. An adjunct professor is one who's attached to the college without being a full member of the salaried faculty. And anyone trying to expand his or her vocabulary will find that daily reading of a newspaper is a worthwhile adjunct to actual vocabulary study.

Synonyms

Noun

• adjutant
• aid
• aide
• apprentice
• assistant
• coadjutor
• deputy
• helper
• helpmate
• helpmeet
• lieutenant
• mate
• sidekick

Examples of adjunct in a Sentence

Noun

Because Joseph Ellis has been an outspoken critic of social and women's history, he appears a peculiar choice to write the foreword, despite his many publications on the Revolutionary era. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, he treats Abigail here more as her husband's adjunct and supporter than as her own woman. —Anthony Lewis, New York Times Book Review, 4 Nov. 2007

As an adjunct to its basic educational role, the public library will increasingly serve as an access point to the resources of other libraries as well as to nonlibrary sources of publicly available information. —Fred Lerner, The Story of Libraries, (1945) 1998

In A.D. 400 western Europe was merely a geographic expression. Roman civilization was centered on the Mediterranean, and France, England, and the Rhine valley were mere adjuncts of the Mediterranean world. —Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993

Massage therapy can be used as an adjunct along with the medication.

In “They ate heartily,” the word heartily is an adjunct and in “We left at noon,” the phrase at noon is an adjunct.

Adjective

But it's Sainte-Marie's less-well-known life as a computer geek—and an adjunct professor of digital art, Native American studies, and philosophy at several universities—that brings her to midtown Manhattan today. —Ophira Edut, Ms., August/September 1999

There is a terrible shortage of jobs in the universities, where, increasingly, men and women with Ph.D.s hang on to various forms of underpaid adjunct posts. Believe me, it happens at Harvard, too. —Martin Peretz, New Republic, 5 July 1999

Using his chauffeur-driven car as an adjunct office, the designer shuttles among the design ateliers of his three major collections: the one that bears his name; Chanel, and, after a seven-year hiatus, Chloé. —Carrie Donovan, New York Times Magazine, 11 Oct. 1992

massage therapy as an adjunct treatment

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For the role, the 6-foot-4 Gossett trained for 30 days at the Marine Corps Recruitment Division, an adjunct of Camp Pendleton north of San Diego. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024

Kathryn Anne Edwards, an economic policy consultant and an adjunct at the RAND Corporation, worries that future productivity gains may be largely attributed to technology innovations and not worker input or ability, weighing down average wage growth, which has recently managed to jump. —Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Latin adjunctum "concomitant factor," from neuter of adjunctus adjunct entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Latin adjunctus, past participle of adjungere "to link up, join, add, attach" — more at adjoin

First Known Use

Noun

1554, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Adjective

1516, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

adjunct

noun

ad·​junct

ˈaj-ˌəŋ(k)t

: accessory entry 1 sense 1

Medical Definition

adjunct

1 of 2 noun

ad·​junct ˈaj-ˌəŋ(k)t 

1

: a person associated with or assisting another in some duty or service

2

: adjuvant sense b

drugs used as short-term adjuncts in weight-loss programs

adjunct

2 of 2 adjective

1

: added or joined as an accompanying object or circumstance

2

: attached in a subordinate or temporary capacity to a staff

an adjunct psychiatrist