com·ple·men·tar·i·ty (k m pl -m n-t r  -t )n. The state or quality of being complementary: "This is where the complementarity of the masculine and the feminine so acutely emerges. They are the necessary poles of a dialectic process" (Therese Namenek). |
complementarity [ˌkɒmplɪmənˈtærɪtɪ]
n pl -ties
1. a state or system that involves complementary components
2. (Physics / General Physics) Physics the principle that the complete description of a phenomenon in microphysics requires the use of two distinct theories that are complementary to each other See also duality [2]
| complementarity (kmpl-mn-târ-t) The concept that the underlying properties of entities (especially subatomic particles) may manifest themselves in contradictory forms at different times, depending on the conditions of observation; thus, any physical model of an entity exclusively in terms of one form or the other will be necessarily incomplete. For example, although a unified quantum mechanical understanding of such phenomena as light has been developed, light sometimes exhibits properties of waves and sometimes properties of particles (an example of wave-particle duality). See also uncertainty principle. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | complementarity - a relation between two opposite states or principles that together exhaust the possibilities ungradable opposition - an opposition that has no intermediate grade; either one or the other |
| 2. | complementarity - the interrelation of reciprocity whereby one thing supplements or depends on the other; "the complementarity of the sexes" reciprocality, reciprocity - a relation of mutual dependence or action or influence |
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