com·pos·ite
käm-ˈpä-zət 
kəm-ˈpä-,
especially British
ˈkäm-pə-zit
1
: made up of distinct parts or elements
a composite photograph
composite materials
: such as
a
capitalized
: relating to or being a modification of the Corinthian order combining angular Ionic volutes with the acanthus-circled bell of the Corinthian
b
: of or relating to a very large family (Compositae synonym Asteraceae) of dicotyledonous herbs, shrubs, and trees often considered to be the most highly evolved plants and characterized by florets arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers
c
: factorable into two or more prime factors other than 1 and itself
8 is a positive composite integer.
2
: combining the typical or essential characteristics of individuals making up a group
… the composite man called the Poet …—
Richard Poirier
Richard Poirier… the knight was a composite portrait of men whom Chaucer personally knew.—John Livingston Lowes
John Livingston Lowes3
of a statistical hypothesis
: specifying a range of values for one or more statistical parameters compare simple sense 10
4
of a video signal
: having two signal components (such as chrominance and luminance) combined in a single channel
For years, commercial television equipment has relied upon composite video cabling, which carries both brightness (luminance) and color (chroma) in a single cable. Problem is, before your television can produce a picture from this signal, it must be heavily filtered, resulting in serious degradation of image quality.—Home Theater Buyer's Guide
compare component entry 2 sense 2
Home Theater Buyer's Guide
compositely
adverb
1
: something composite : compound
a composite of two images
2
: a composite (see composite entry 1 sense 1b) plant
daisies, dandelions, and other composites
4
: a solid material which is composed of two or more substances having different physical characteristics and in which each substance retains its identity while contributing desirable properties to the whole
especially
: a structural material made of plastic within which a fibrous material (such as silicon carbide) is embedded
5
: an artist's sketch or digitally generated image of a criminal suspect usually created from witnesses' descriptions and used to help police identify and apprehend the suspect
a police composite
Police have released a composite of the suspect based on a description from the victim of the April 4 robbery.—Jim Jaworski
Jim Jaworski
composited; compositing
: to make composite or into something composite
composited four soil samples
composite the images
Synonyms
Adjective
Noun
- admixture
- alloy
- amalgam
- amalgamation
- blend
- cocktail
- combination
- compound
- conflation
- emulsion
- fusion
- intermixture
- meld
- mix
- mixture
- synthesis
Verb
Examples of composite in a Sentence
Adjective
the movie's special effects included the use of many composite photographs
Noun
a composite of diverse communities
He spotted a man who resembled the police composite.
Verb
wood chips can be composited or sold as mulch
Recent Examples on the WebKillian Baarlaer, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2024
Duncan Porter, a software developer from England, took to X over the weekend to share a before and after composite photograph taken 15 years apart at Rhône Glacier with his wife, Helen.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2024
Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2024
Due to the density of granite composite, any fragile dishes can shatter if dropped on the sink's surface.
—Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2024
Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 9 Aug. 2024
My stress test of compositing four video tracks has brought many a video app to its knees in the past with stop-and-go playback.
—PCMAG, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for composite 
Adjective
Xu was arrested in Belgium in April 2018 and extradited to the U.S.
Authorities discovered multiple devices containing information about Xu's attempts to steal trade secrets, including information related to GE's composite fan-blade technology.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2024
Duncan Porter, a software developer from England, took to X over the weekend to share a before and after composite photograph taken 15 years apart at Rhône Glacier with his wife, Helen.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2024
Noun
Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2024
Due to the density of granite composite, any fragile dishes can shatter if dropped on the sink's surface.
—Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2024
Verb
In addition, there was machine learning assistance for depth-layer mapping, which composited snow and other atmospherics.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 9 Aug. 2024
My stress test of compositing four video tracks has brought many a video app to its knees in the past with stop-and-go playback.
—PCMAG, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for composite
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'composite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near composite
Cite this Entry
“Composite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composite. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
composite
1 of 2 adjective
com·pos·ite
käm-ˈpäz-ət
kəm-
kəm-
1
: made up of various parts or elements
a composite photograph
2
: of or relating to a very large family of dicotyledonous plants (as a daisy or aster) that are characterized by flowers arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers
3
: able to be factored into two or more prime factors other than 1 and itself
12 is a composite number since 2 × 2 × 3 = 12
composite
2 of 2 noun1
: something that is made up of different parts : compound
2
: a composite plant
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