- (in listing a number of items or attributes that refer to another list) separately in the order given: he gave Janet and John a cake and a chocolate respectively
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
re•spec•tive•ly /rɪˈspɛktɪvli/USA pronunciation
adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- (of several subjects) in a parallel way;
in the order given:Joe and Bob escorted Betty and Alice, respectively.
re•spec•tive•ly
(ri spek′tiv lē),USA pronunciation adv.
- in precisely the order given;
sequentially. - (of two or more things, with reference to two or more things previously mentioned) referring or applying to in a parallel or sequential way:Joe and Bob escorted Betty and Alice, respectively.
- respective + -ly 1550–60
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
respectively /rɪˈspɛktɪvlɪ/ adv
'respectively' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
adverb
- Appenzell
- Basle
- Blackwood
- fallow deer
- hammer and sickle
- his
- James I
- Jupiter
- kurtosis
- lisp
- Mars
- Mercury
- mouillé
- Neptune
- palm
- Prague
- quotation mark
- Sarajevo
- Saturn
- severally
- skewness
- sun
- syllogism
- Uranus
- vendace
- Venus
- voltammeter
- Zeus
- accent
- addition reaction
- all' ottava
- angular house
- anhydride
- anyplace
- Arcas
- by
- cadent house
- cedilla
- chromosome
- cinquain
- curvature of space
- drought
- Esdras
- exponent
- foul line
- Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
- majority
- mid
- mood