compliment

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑmpləmənt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒmplɪmənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: complement

Etymology 1

From French, from Italian complimento, from Vulgar Latin complire, from Latin complere

Noun

compliment (plural compliments)

1. An expression of praise, congratulation, encouragement, or respect.
   • Milton

     Tedious waste of time, to sit and hear / So many hollow compliments and lies.

   • Cowper

     many a compliment politely penned

2. (uncountable) Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
   • 1871–72, George Eliot, Middlemarch, Chapter 3

     This accomplished man condescended to think of a young girl, and take the pains to talk to her, not with absurd compliment, but with an appeal to her understanding, and sometimes with instructive correction.

3. common misconstruction of complement

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:praise

Derived terms

Terms derived from compliment (noun)

backhanded compliment

left-handed compliment

with compliments

Translations

expression of praise, congratulation or encouragement

• Arabic: مجاملة f (mujaamila)
• Armenian: հաճոյախոսություն (hačoyaxosutʿyun), կոմպլիմենտ (kompliment)
• Bulgarian: похвала (bg) f (pohvala), любезност (bg) f (ljubeznost), комплимент (bg) m (kompliment)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 稱讚, 称赞 (zh) (chēngzàn), 道賀, 道贺 (zh) (dàohè)

• Czech: poklona f
• Danish: kompliment c
• Dutch: compliment (nl)
• Finnish: kohteliaisuus, kohteliaisuudenosoitus
• French: compliment (fr) m
• German: Kompliment (de) n
• Greek: φιλοφρόνηση (el) f (filofrónisi)
• Hebrew: מחמאה (he) f (makhma'á)

• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: bók (hu)
• Italian: complimento (it) m
• Japanese: お世辞 (おせじ, oseji)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: komplement m
• Portuguese: elogio (pt) m
• Russian: комплимент (ru) m (komplimént), похвала (ru) f (poxvalá), любезность (ru) f (ljubéznost’)
• Spanish: cumplido (es) m
• Swedish: komplimang (sv) c
• Thai: คำชม
• Turkish: övgü (tr), iltifat (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

Etymology 2

From French, from Italian complimento Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir, from Vulgar Latin complire, from Latin complere.

Verb

compliment (third-person singular simple present compliments, present participle complimenting, simple past and past participle complimented)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To pay a compliment (to); to express a favorable opinion (of).
   • Prior

     Monarchs should their inward soul disguise; […] / Should compliment their foes and shun their friends.

2. Common misspelling of complement.

Translations

to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: հաճոյախոսել (hačoyaxosel), կոմպլիմենտ անել (kompliment anel)
• Bulgarian: хваля (bg) (hvalja), правя комплимент (pravja kompliment)
• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Danish: komplimentere
• Dutch: complimenteren (nl), een compliment geven
• Finnish: lausua kohteliaisuus
• French: complimenter (fr), faire des compliments (fr)
• German: beglückwünschen (de), ein Kompliment machen
• Greek: κολακεύω (el) (kolakévo), επαινώ (el) (epainó), παινεύω (el) (painévo)
• Hebrew: החמיא (hekhmí)

• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: bókol (hu)
• Italian: complimentarsi
• Norwegian: komplimentere (no), gi kompliment
• Portuguese: elogiar (pt)
• Russian: говорить комплименты (govorít’ kompliménty)
• Spanish: felicitar (es)
• Swedish: ge en komplimang, komplimentera (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: iltifat etmek
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

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Dutch

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

compliment n (plural complimenten, diminutive complimentje n)

1. compliment