composite sentence

noun

A sentence that contains multiple clauses, whether independent (coordinated) or dependent (subordinated); a compound or complex sentence.

Meanings

nouncomposite sentence (plural composite sentences)

plural composite sentences

  1. grammarA sentence that contains multiple clauses, whether independent (coordinated) or dependent (subordinated); a compound or complex sentence.

    The composite sentence, in its two forms compound and complex, is relatively straightforward, though rather different from the simple sentence.

    1986, Ian Press, A Grammar of Modern Breton, second edition, page 204
    3 more examples

    A composite sentence is the union of two or more sentences which from their contents, the way in which they are arranged or joined together, and the manner in whih they are uttered, form a whole. The relation between the different members of a composite sentence is that of: a) Co-ordination (parataxis), when they are of equal rank. […] b) Subordination (hypotaxis), when one memebr represents an element (subject, nominal part of the predicate, object, etc.) of the other.

    1904, Hendrik Poutsma, A Grammar of Late Modern English, Part I: The Sentence, page 351

    When, however, we come to composite sentences (that is, sentences consisting of two or more clauses), we have to deal with the notions of main clause, head clause, and subordinate clause.

    1971, Boris Aleksandrovich Ilyish, Строй современного английского языка, second edition, page 189

    Composite sentences can be categorized into two types: (1) coordinate sentence, in which the included sentence forms are of equal statuses and (2) subordinate sentence, in which the included sentence forms include major ones and subordinate ones.

    2022, Wang Li, translated by Bo Wang, Modern Chinese Grammar I: Syntax

Synonyms & antonyms

Cite this entry
APA

composite sentence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/composite%20sentence

MLA

“composite sentence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/composite%20sentence. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “composite sentence,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/composite%20sentence.

Source: composite sentence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.