congratulations
Britishplural noun
Explanation
"Kudos," "well-done," and other words of praise are forms of congratulations, or an expression of approval and acclaim. Congratulations are expressed for good wishes on a special occasion, not just an accomplishment. For example, you wouldn't tell someone who just had a baby, "Good job on your accomplishment," but you would say, "Congratulations!" If, however, someone says "congratulations!" when you drop your ice cream cone or get a bad grade on your math test, they're probably being sarcastic.
Vocabulary lists containing congratulations
A Graduation Lexicon
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thank you, Kaden and Aaron, and congratulations for being such accomplished athletes and even more so, for being great human beings.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
“Thank you, and congratulations to Microsoft!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
"So congratulations because they made a big call in very, very difficult circumstances."
From BBC • May 10, 2026
Gamble’s husband, Larry Fletcher, boasted of his wife’s legal victory to a slightly uncomfortable-looking young waitress, who expressed her congratulations in an uncertain voice.
From Slate • May 4, 2026
It was the mainland school supervisor who had graded the exams who took time to write me a note of congratulations.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
