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.
The pair are currently receiving congratulations from both sides of the Atlantic after releasing their version of Jolene.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
But with some exceptions, these two announcements generated little beyond congratulations, remarkable only for being unremarkable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
And, perhaps more importantly, congratulations on paying off $40,000 worth of debt.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
“People made their debuts today, so congratulations everyone. This is what everybody looks forward to.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
“You know, you could just say congratulations and stop there.”
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
