ancillary
3 antonyms for ancillary — opposites grouped by meaning.
Adjective — Providing support to something more important, without being an essential part of it.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective formal
Providing support to something more important, without being an essential part of it.
“The hospital is recruiting nurses as well as ancillary staff.”
Opposites
2. noun formal, chiefly British
A person or thing that provides support to a main activity, such as a support worker in a hospital or school.
“The ancillaries voted to join the strike.”
support worker
auxiliary
Antonyms
How to use ancillary
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
ancillary staff
ancillary services
ancillary costs
ancillary revenue
Formal; common in medicine, law, education and business.
Etymology
From Latin ancillaris, from ancilla 'maidservant'.
Full origin of ancillary →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ancillary and auxiliary?
They are close, but auxiliary suggests an extra resource held in reserve or added to boost capacity, such as an auxiliary engine or auxiliary troops. Ancillary suggests a supporting role attached to the main work, such as ancillary staff or ancillary costs.
What are ancillary costs?
They are the additional charges attached to a main purchase rather than the purchase itself, such as delivery, insurance, installation or legal fees. They are real costs, but they sit around the headline price.
How is ancillary pronounced?
British speakers usually stress the first syllable, AN-suh-luh-ree, while American speakers usually stress the second, an-SIL-uh-ree. Both are correct within their varieties.
