reciprocity.

A relationship in which parties respond to one another with corresponding benefits, duties, or actions.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• principle of reciprocity
• diplomatic reciprocity
• norm of reciprocity

On the page

The visa agreement rests on reciprocity between the two states.

Informal caregiving networks often depend on a norm of reciprocity.

Reciprocity weakened when one side repeatedly failed to honor its commitments.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic. Usually uncountable; reciprocity does not require exact equality or immediate exchange. It can describe norms of mutual response, not just a transaction. Usually uncountable in the recorded sense; no ordinary plural. Derived family (not inflections): reciprocal, reciprocate.