complement

Definition

That thing or person that makes something else better by completing it or improving it—the peanut butter to your jelly, the milk to your coffee. Not to be confused with a compliment, which is what you say to make someone feel good.

Example Usage

The new design is a perfect complement to our existing brand identity.

Source: Merriam-Webster, general business terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

divide

The corporate canyon that opens up when departments stop talking to each other. In organizational dynamics, it's the invisible wall between sales and engineering, marketing and product, or literally any two groups that decided they're enemies for life.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

managed out

The euphemistic process of making an employee's work life sufficiently miserable that they resign voluntarily, avoiding the messy paperwork of termination. Constructive dismissal with a corporate smile.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

four-day letter

A resignation notice that provides minimal notice period, typically given when an employee has already checked out mentally. The professional equivalent of ghosting your employer.

💼 Corporate / Business

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rubber-stamping

Approving something without actually reviewing it, like a board of directors who've completely checked out. It's due diligence for people who'd rather be golfing.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

Blockers

Obstacles preventing progress on a project, ranging from technical issues to Steve from Accounting who won't approve anything. The scapegoats for why you're behind schedule.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

expiration

The cruel date stamped on everything from contracts to dairy products, signaling the moment something transitions from valuable to worthless. In business, it's the deadline that turns your stock options into pumpkins, your insurance into nothing, or your promotional offer into a source of customer rage. Also the medical term for breathing out, though corporate life often makes you forget to do that too.

💼 Corporate / Business

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Intermediate

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