respectively

adverb

re·​spec·​tive·​ly ri-ˈspek-tiv-lē 

1

: in the order given

Mary and Anne were respectively 12 and 16 years old

2

: in particular : separately

could not recognize the solutions as salty or sour, respectively

Examples of respectively in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sour is on the Rise as Well Interest in Rodrigo’s debut full-length Sour has also increased as the Guts World Tour revisited the U.K. Sour finds its way back to both the Official Physical Albums and Official Albums Sales charts, coming in at Nos. 88 and 93, respectively. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Berkeley, California, and Charlotte, North Carolina, also embrace work from home with a total 29% and 28% remote workers, respectively. —Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 1 July 2025

For centuries, astronomers have snagged observations of asteroids and comets—respectively, rocky and icy objects that swarm between and around the planets as all orbit the sun. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 1 July 2025

Temperatures and heat index values over the weekend are expected to be similar to those on Friday, ranging from the upper 80s to the lower 90s and mid- to upper 90s, respectively. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for respectively

• ineffectively
• retrospectively
• affectively
• collectively
• defectively
• effectively
• objectively
• prospectively
• protectively
• reflectively
• selectively
• subjectively

Kids Definition

respectively

adverb

re·​spec·​tive·​ly

ri-ˈspek-tiv-lē

: each in the order given

John and Mary were 12 and 13 years old respectively