Meaning & use
composite
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Meanings
nouncountable
Something formed by joining several different parts, materials, or elements into a single whole.
Grammar: Takes a plural: composites. Often followed by of: a composite of wood and plastic.
Patterns
- a composite of something
- build something from a composite
- a composite material
The new racket is a composite of carbon fibre and resin.
The artist painted a composite of several faces from memory.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A strong lightweight material made by combining two or more substances, used in aircraft, cars, and sports equipment.
Grammar: Used uncountably when speaking of the material in general, and countably for particular products or types.
Patterns
- made of composite
- a carbon composite
- composite in aircraft construction
Modern aircraft wings contain a great deal of composite instead of metal.
Engineers tested a new carbon composite for the racing car's body.
adjectivebefore a noun
Made up of different parts or elements combined together.
Grammar: Only used before a noun: a composite image, not the image is composite.
Patterns
- a composite image
- composite materials
- a composite score
Police released a composite image of the suspect built from witness descriptions.
Her final grade is a composite score based on three exams.
Word forms
| plural | composites |
|---|
Common combinations
- composite material
- Composite materials are prized in engineering for being light and strong.
- composite image
- Detectives circulated a composite image drawn from several witnesses' accounts.
- composite number
- Twelve is a composite number because it can be divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6.
Synonyms and how they differ
- compound
- Compound usually describes substances chemically combined, while composite stresses parts joined mechanically into a whole.
- mixture
- A mixture implies loose blending that can often be separated; a composite is a designed, unified whole.
Opposites
Word family
- compose verb
- To form something by putting parts together.
- composition noun
- The way parts are arranged, or the parts themselves.
- composer noun
- A person who writes music, literally one who puts parts together.
Commonly confused: composite or compost?
composite vs compost
Compost is decayed organic matter used as fertilizer; composite means made of combined parts. The words sound and look similar but are unrelated.
Practice
The police artist produced a ______ picture of the suspect based on several witnesses' descriptions.
Choose one answer.
A composite image combines features from different sources, which matches witness-based police sketches. Compost is fertilizer and complacent means self-satisfied, so neither fits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “composite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.