supplemental

adjective

sup·​ple·​men·​tal ˌsə-plə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

1

: serving to supplement

2

: nonscheduled

a supplemental airline

supplemental noun

Synonyms

• accessorial
• accessory
• appurtenant
• auxiliary
• peripheral
• supplementary

Examples of supplemental in a Sentence

She receives a supplemental income every month from the government.

the new program will provide supplemental health insurance to thousands of workers

Recent Examples on the Web

This includes dispensing supplemental funding to high-poverty K-12 school districts that provide vital child care services for many low-income and rural communities across the country. —Mimi Montgomery, Axios, 24 Mar. 2025

Under his leadership, Netflix is rethinking its gaming strategy, moving out of direct competition with large game developers and into a more supplemental role for its primary streaming offering. —Matt Craig, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025

The food bank also received supplemental food purchasing assistance from the Commodity Credit Corp., the government agency created to protect farm income and prices. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2025

Besides retirement services, the agency runs programs that provide survivor benefits and disability benefits and supplemental income for the very poor. —Ashley Lopez, NPR, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

supplement entry 1 + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for supplemental

• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental
• fundamental
• governmental
• incidental
• incremental
• instrumental
• interdental
• monumental

Medical Definition

supplemental

adjective

sup·​ple·​men·​tal ˌsəp-lə-ˈment-ᵊl 

: serving to supplement : supplementary

Legal Definition

supplemental

adjective

sup·​ple·​men·​tal ˌsə-plə-ˈment-ᵊl 

: serving to complete or make an addition

supplemental appropriations

specifically : of, relating to, or being a supplemental pleading

supplemental noun