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.

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.
   • c. 1610, William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, Act I, Scene 2,^[1]

     […] 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, Paradise Regained, London: T. Longman et al., 1796, Book 4, p. 65,^[2]

     [...] 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,^[3]

     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,^[4]

     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)

• 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 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
• 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); to express a favorable opinion (of).
   • (Can we date this quote by Prior and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

2. Misspelling of complement.

Antonyms

• insult

Translations

to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• 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

---

Catalan

Etymology

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

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment

---

Dutch

Etymology

From French compliment, from Italian complimento.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

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

Noun

compliment n (plural complimenten, diminutive complimentje n)

1. compliment

---

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

References

• “compliment” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).