noun
Meaning 1
An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- pay someone a compliment
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
compliment
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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US: /ˈkɑmpləmənt/
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɒmplɪmənt/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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homophone: complement
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CMU ARPABET: K AA1 M P L AH0 M EH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Misspelling of complement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, misspelling
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To pay a compliment (to someone); to express a favourable opinion (of someone).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: insult
verb
Meaning 5
Misspelling of complement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, misspelling
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a remark (or act) expressing praise and admiration
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: praise, congratulations, kudos, extolment
Narrower terms: trade-last, flattery, unction, smarm, fulsomeness
verb
Meaning 7
say something to someone that expresses praise
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He complimented her on her last physics paper
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: congratulate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: praise
verb
Meaning 8
express respect or esteem for
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: greet
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French compliment, itself a borrowing of Italian complimento, which in turn is a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir (“to comply, complete, do what is proper”) + -miento or Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complement. Displaced Old English ġeswǣsnes.
Borrowed from French complimenter, from compliment + -er (verb-forming suffix).
Across languages
Translations
116 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: مَدْحَة (madḥa) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Arabic: مَدْحَة (madḥa) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Arabic: مُجامَلة (mujāmala) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Armenian: հաճոյախոսություն (hačoyaxosutʻyun) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Armenian: կոմպլիմենտ (kompliment) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Belarusian: кампліме́нт (kamplimjént) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Belarusian: пахвала́ (paxvalá) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Bulgarian: похвала́ (pohvalá) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Bulgarian: любе́зност (ljubéznost) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Bulgarian: комплиме́нт (komplimént) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Chinese Mandarin: 稱讚 /称赞 (chēngzàn) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Chinese Mandarin: 道賀 /道贺 (dàohè) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Czech: poklona — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Czech: kompliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Danish: kompliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Dutch: compliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Finnish: kohteliaisuus — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Finnish: kohteliaisuudenosoitus — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- French: compliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- German: Kompliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- German: Lob — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- German: Anerkennung — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- German: Achtungsbezeugung — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- German: Ehrenbezeigung — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Greek: φιλοφρόνηση (filofrónisi) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Hebrew: מחמאה (makhma'á) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Hindi: तारीफ़ (tārīf) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Hindi: प्रशंसा (praśansā) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Hungarian: bók — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Italian: complimento — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Japanese: お世辞 (oseji) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Korean: 칭찬 (chingchan) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Korean: 찬사 (chansa) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Māori: whakamihi — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Norwegian Bokmål: komplimang — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Old English: ġeswǣsnes — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Polish: komplement — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Polish: pochwała — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Polish: pochlebstwo — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Portuguese: elogio — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Romanian: compliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Russian: комплиме́нт (komplimént) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Russian: похвала́ (poxvalá) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Russian: любе́зность (ljubéznostʹ) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Sanskrit: चाटुक्ति (cāṭukti) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Sanskrit: चाटु (cāṭu) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Slovak: kompliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Spanish: cumplido — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Spanish: falago — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Spanish: halago — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Spanish: cumplimiento — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Spanish: chicoleo — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Swedish: komplimang — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Thai: คําชมเชย — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Turkish: övgü — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Turkish: iltifat — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Turkish: kompliman — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Ukrainian: компліме́нт (komplimént) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Ukrainian: похвала́ (poxvalá) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Ukrainian: люб'я́зність (ljubʺjáznistʹ) — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Vietnamese: lời khen — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Volapük: plim — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Welsh: canmoliaeth — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Welsh: compliment — expression of praise, congratulation or respect
- Bulgarian: комплимент (kompliment) — courtesy, flattery
- Finnish: kohteliaisuus — courtesy, flattery
- Finnish: imartelu — courtesy, flattery
- German: Kompliment — courtesy, flattery
- German: Schmeichelei — courtesy, flattery
- German: Höflichkeitsbezeigung — courtesy, flattery
- German: Höflichkeitsbezeugung — courtesy, flattery
- Polish: komplement — courtesy, flattery
- Polish: pochwała — courtesy, flattery
- Polish: pochlebstwo — courtesy, flattery
- Spanish: falago — courtesy, flattery
- Spanish: halago — courtesy, flattery
- Spanish: chicoleo — courtesy, flattery
- Arabic: مَدَحَ (madaḥa) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Armenian: հաճոյախոսել (hačoyaxosel) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Armenian: կոմպլիմենտ անել (kompliment anel) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Belarusian: каза́ць кампліме́нты (kazácʹ kamplimjénty) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Bulgarian: хваля (hvalja) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Bulgarian: правя комплимент (pravja kompliment) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Catalan: complimentar — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Danish: komplimentere — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Dutch: complimenteren — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Dutch: een compliment geven — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Finnish: lausua kohteliaisuus — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- French: complimenter — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- French: faire un compliment — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- French: faire des compliments — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- German: beglückwünschen — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- German: ein Kompliment machen — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- German: loben — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- German: komplimentieren — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Greek: κολακεύω (kolakévo) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Greek: επαινώ (epainó) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Greek: παινεύω (painévo) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Hebrew: הֶחְמִיא (heẖmí) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Hungarian: bókol — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Italian: complimentarsi — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Māori: whakamihi — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Norwegian: komplimentere — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Norwegian: gi kompliment — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Polish: komplementować — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Polish: skomplementować — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Portuguese: elogiar — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Russian: говори́ть комплиме́нты (govorítʹ kompliménty) — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Spanish: cumplimentar — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Spanish: dar un cumplido — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Swedish: ge en komplimang — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Swedish: komplimentera — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Turkish: iltifat etmek — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Vietnamese: khen ngợi — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Vietnamese: ca tụng — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
- Volapük: plimön — to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion
Real reading context