Complementary colors are which of the following?

• A. Opposite colors on a color wheel
• B. Colors next to each other on a color wheel
• C. Colors with the same hue but different saturation
• D. Colors mixed to create neutrals

Answer: (A)

Complementary colors are colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. This pairing creates the strongest contrast, so when they’re used next to each other, each color appears more vibrant. In pigment, mixing complementary colors tends to neutralize, producing a muddy brown or gray, which also shows how tightly linked they are as opposites. Examples include red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple.

The other ideas describe different relationships: colors next to each other are analogous, not complementary; same hue with different saturation refers to variations of the same color’s intensity; and mixing colors to create neutrals describes the outcome of combining complementary colors, not the defining relationship itself.