Auxiliary: meaning, example and synonyms
Auxiliaryadj. Providing additional help or support; supplementary or held in reserve.
Example
When the main turbine failed during the blizzard, the hospital switched to its auxiliary generators, keeping the operating rooms lit without interruption.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- supplementary, backup, ancillary, reserve
- Antonyms
- primary, main, principal, chief
- Memory tip
- AUX sounds like EXTRA: the backup that helps when needed.
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Check yourself: Auxiliary in context
When the main engines failed, the ship's crew switched to the ______ engines, which were smaller but powerful enough to bring the vessel safely into port.
Answer: auxiliary. Backup engines used when the main ones fail are auxiliary. pseudonymous (under a false name), endemic (native to one place) and seismic (enormous in impact) don't fit this context.
Besides its full-time employees, the hospital relies on ______ staff, trained volunteers who are called in only during emergencies to support the regular teams.
Answer: auxiliary. Volunteers who support the regular teams in emergencies are auxiliary staff. endemic (native to one place), seismic (enormous in impact) and pseudonymous (under a false name) don't fit this context.