Composite

/ˈkɒmpəzɪt/

adjectiveIntermediate📊CommonDescriptive
2 meanings3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

Made or constructed out of several different parts or elements.

/ˈkɒmpəzɪt/

adjectiveneutralIntermediate
Descriptive

Made up of several parts or elements.

The composite structure of the bridge allowed it to withstand the heavy loads.

💡 Simply: Imagine a LEGO creation, where you put different bricks together to make something new. A composite thing is like that – it's built from different parts!

👶 For kids: Made of different parts put together.

More Examples

2

The composite photograph showed the suspect's face.

How It's Used

Science

"Composite materials are used in the construction of aircraft because of their strength and lightness."

Art

"The artist created a composite image by combining several photographs."

2

A thing made up of several different parts or elements.

/ˈkɒmpəzɪt/

nounneutralIntermediate
Thing

Something composed of different parts or elements.

The artist used a composite of several images to create the final piece.

💡 Simply: Think of a salad! It’s a composite – a mix of different ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, making up the whole salad.

👶 For kids: Something made of different parts put together.

More Examples

2

The new building is constructed of many composites, including glass and steel.

How It's Used

Engineering

"Carbon fiber is a common composite material used in aerospace applications."

Finance

"The index is a composite of several different stock prices."

Tip:Remember the COMPOSED artwork; it's the composite.

Synonyms & Antonyms

From Latin *compositus*, past participle of *componere* 'to put together', from *com-* 'together' + *ponere* 'to put'.

Historically used in architecture to describe columns, the word broadened to describe anything made up of different parts.

Memory tip

Think of a COMPOSITION made of different pieces.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"put together"

composite materialcomposite imagecomposite structure

Common misspellings

compositcompositte

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written