ENGLISH
REFERENCE

respectively

adv. sent.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ɹɪˈspɛktɪvɫi// UK //ɹɪspˈɛktɪvli// re·spec·tive·ly

adv. in the same order as the people or things you just mentioned. You use this when you have two lists and want to show which item in the first list matches which item in the second list.

adv. separately and in the order already mentioned. Used to clarify the one-to-one correspondence between two parallel lists or sequences.


SIMPLE

The two winners were aged 10 and 12, respectively.

CONTEXTUAL

The sales and marketing departments are located on the third and fourth floors, respectively.

COMPLEX

In the final set of experiments, the control and test groups showed an increase in efficiency of 5% and 12%, respectively, confirming the hypothesis that the new catalyst was superior.

Synonyms
Origin

From respective + -ly.

Usage

Typically placed at the end of a clause or sentence to clarify the relationship between two previously mentioned sets of information.

Pitfall

The respectively prices are $5 and $10.The prices are $5 and $10, respectively.Respectively is an adverb and cannot be used as an adjective before a noun; it must follow the items it refers to.

© 2026 English Reference