compliment

English

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”). Doublet of complement. Displaced native Old English ġeswǣsnes.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: complement

Noun

compliment (plural compliments)

1. An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.

   pay someone a compliment

   • c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The VVinters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:

     […] I met him
     With customary compliment; when he,
     Wafting his eyes to the contrary and falling
     A lip of much contempt, speeds from me and
     So leaves me to consider what is breeding
     That changeth thus his manners.

   • 1671, John Milton, “The Fourth Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398, page 65:

     [...] what honour that,
     but tedious waste of time, to sit and hear
     So many hollow compliments and lies,
     Outlandish flatteries?

   • 1782, William Cowper, “Table Talk” in Poems, London: J. Johnson, p. 37,^[1]

     Virtue indeed meets many a rhiming friend,

     And many a compliment politely penn’d,

2. (uncountable) Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
   • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar, London, p. 25,^[2]

     He told the Captain, He was heartily sorry for his Misfortunes; tho’ in my Opinion that was nothing but a Compliment: For, as I found afterwards, he was more brutish, and dishonest, than most of the other Kings on the Island […]

   • 1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter III, in Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life, volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, OCLC 948783829, book I (Miss Brooke), page 48:

     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. Misspelling of complement.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:praise

Antonyms

• insult

Derived terms

Terms derived from compliment (noun)

• complisult
• backhanded compliment

• left-handed compliment

• with compliments

Translations

expression of praise, congratulation or respect

• Arabic: مَدْحَة‎ f (madḥa)

  Hijazi Arabic: مَدْحَة‎ f (madḥa), مُجامَلة‎ f (mujāmala)

• Armenian: հաճոյախոսություն (hy) (hačoyaxosutʿyun), կոմպլիմենտ (hy) (kompliment)
• Belarusian: кампліме́нт m (kamplimjént), пахвала́ f (paxvalá)
• Bulgarian: похвала́ (bg) f (pohvalá), любе́зност (bg) f (ljubéznost), комплиме́нт (bg) m (komplimént)
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: poklona f, kompliment (cs) m
• Danish: kompliment c
• Dutch: compliment (nl)
• Finnish: kohteliaisuus (fi), kohteliaisuudenosoitus
• French: compliment (fr) m
• German: Kompliment (de) n, Lob (de) n, Anerkennung (de) f, Achtungsbezeugung (de) f, Ehrenbezeigung f
• Greek: φιλοφρόνηση (el) f (filofrónisi)
• Hebrew: מחמאה‎ (he) f (makhma'á)
• Hindi: तारीफ़ f (tārīf), प्रशंसा (hi) f (praśansā)
• Hungarian: bók (hu)

• Italian: complimento (it) m
• Japanese: お世辞 (ja) (おせじ, oseji)
• Korean: 칭찬 (ko) (chingchan), 찬사 (ko) (chansa)
• Maori: whakamihi
• Norwegian Bokmål: komplimang m
• Old English: ġeswǣsnes f
• Polish: komplement (pl) m, pochwała (pl) f, pochlebstwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: elogio (pt) m
• Romanian: compliment (ro) n
• Russian: комплиме́нт (ru) m (komplimént), похвала́ (ru) f (poxvalá), любе́зность (ru) f (ljubéznostʹ)
• Sanskrit: चाटुक्ति f (cāṭukti), चाटु (sa) m (cāṭu)
• Spanish: cumplido (es) m
• Swedish: komplimang (sv) c
• Thai: คำชมเชย
• Turkish: övgü (tr), iltifat (tr)
• Ukrainian: компліме́нт (uk) (komplimént), похвала́ (poxvalá), люб'я́зність (ljubʺjáznistʹ)
• Vietnamese: lời khen (vi)

courtesy, flattery

• Bulgarian: комплимент (bg) m (kompliment)
• Finnish: kohteliaisuus (fi); imartelu (fi) (flattery)

• German: Kompliment (de) n, Schmeichelei (de) f, Höflichkeitsbezeigung f, Höflichkeitsbezeugung f

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 someone); to express a favourable opinion (of someone).

   Antonym: insult

   • 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], OCLC 5634253, book II (Pleasure), page 457:

     […] She transferr'd the curs'd Advice, / That Monarchs ſhould their inward Soul diſguise, / Diſſemble, and command; be falſe, and wiſe; / By ignominous Arts for ſervile Ends / Should compliment their Foes, and ſhun their Friends.

2. Misspelling of complement.

Translations

to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion

• Arabic: مَدَحَ‎ (madaḥa)
• Armenian: հաճոյախոսել (hy) (hačoyaxosel), կոմպլիմենտ անել (kompliment anel)
• Belarusian: каза́ць кампліме́нты impf (kazácʹ kamplimjénty)
• 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 un compliment, faire des compliments
• German: beglückwünschen (de), ein Kompliment machen, loben (de), komplimentieren (de)
• 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 (it)
• Maori: whakamihi
• Norwegian: komplimentere (no), gi kompliment
• Portuguese: elogiar (pt)
• Russian: говори́ть комплиме́нты impf (govorítʹ kompliménty)
• Spanish: felicitar (es), cumplimentar (es)
• Swedish: ge en komplimang, komplimentera (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: iltifat etmek (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

See also

• complement

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Catalan

Etymology

From complir. Cf. also Spanish cumplimiento, Latin complementum.

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French compliment, from Italian complimento, from Old Spanish cumplimiento.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkɔm.pliˈmɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: com‧pli‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

compliment n (plural complimenten, diminutive complimentje n)

1. compliment

Derived terms

• complimenteus

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: kòmplimènt

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian complimento, itself a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complément.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.pli.mɑ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment (positive comment)

Derived terms

• complimenter

Further reading

• “compliment”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Romanian

Etymology

From French compliment

Noun

compliment n (plural complimente)

1. compliment

Declension

Declension of compliment

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) compliment	complimentul	(niște) complimente	complimentele
genitive/dative	(unui) compliment	complimentului	(unor) complimente	complimentelor
vocative	complimentule		complimentelor