compliment

[noun kom-pluh-muhnt; verb kom-pluh-ment]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compliment ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration: A sincere compliment boosts one's morale.

a formal act or expression of civility, respect, or regard: The mayor paid him the compliment of escorting him.

compliments, a courteous greeting; good wishes; regards: He sends you his compliments.

Archaic. a gift; present.

verb (used with object)

to pay a compliment to: She complimented the child on his good behavior.

to show kindness or regard for by a gift or other favor: He complimented us by giving a party in our honor.

to congratulate; felicitate: to compliment a prince on the birth of a son.

verb (used without object)

to pay compliments.

Origin of compliment

1570–80; < French < Italian complimento < Spanish cumplimiento, equivalent to cumpli- (see comply) + -miento -ment; earlier identical in spelling with complement

Related formscom·pli·ment·a·ble, adjectivecom·pli·ment·er, nouncom·pli·ment·ing·ly, adverbout·com·pli·ment, verb (used with object)un·com·pli·ment·ed, adjectiveun·com·pli·ment·ing, adjective

Can be confusedcomplement compliment (see usage note at complement)

Synonyms for compliment

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compliment ON THESAURUS.COM

1. kudos, tribute, eulogy, panegyric. 5. commend, praise, honor.

Antonyms for compliment

1. disparagement.

Usage note

See complement.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for compliment

admiration, applause, commendation, homage, ovation, blessing, courtesy, adulation, endorsement, tribute, congratulate, applaud, laud, commend, cajole, endorse, extol, acclaim, bouquet, confirmation

Examples from the Web for compliment

Contemporary Examples of compliment

For many men, being depicted by Channing Tatum in a film about your life would be a compliment.
Wrestler Mark Schultz Hates the ‘Sickening and Insulting Lies’ of ‘Foxcatcher’
Rich Goldstein
December 31, 2014
Hawke, ever the charmer, kicks things off with a compliment: I really like you guys.
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange
Marlow Stern
December 27, 2014
And the criticism is always poorly packaged as concern or some sad excuse for a compliment.
How to Make It Through Thanksgiving Alive
Lizzie Crocker
November 26, 2014
To be the very first moment that we see on an episode of The Good Wife was quite a compliment and very humbling.
How Carrie Preston Became The Good Wife’s Favorite Scene Stealer
Kevin Fallon
October 20, 2014
“Novelist good for nothing else,” said Samuel Beckett, and that ought to be taken as a compliment.
Nobel Prize Winner Modiano’s Magical Musical Prose About Paris
Pierre Assouline
October 14, 2014

Historical Examples of compliment

Thank you for the compliment, but I don't expect to stick to it all my life.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
She laughed her little laugh of pleasure, and thanked him prettily for the compliment.
Viviette
William J. Locke
They are angry also, as I understand, with my mother, for returning his compliment.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
"I can make a horse do what I want," he said, delighted at the compliment.
Viviette
William J. Locke
But Mr. Gladstone, while acknowledging the compliment, declined because of his age.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook

British Dictionary definitions for compliment

compliment

noun (ˈkɒmplɪmənt)

a remark or act expressing respect, admiration, etc

(usually plural) a greeting of respect or regard

verb (ˈkɒmplɪˌmɛnt) (tr)

to express admiration of; congratulate or commend

to express or show respect or regard for, esp by a gift

Word Origin for compliment

C17: from French, from Italian complimento, from Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir to complete, do what is fitting, be polite

confusable

Avoid confusion with complement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for compliment

"An act, or expression of civility, usually understood to include some hypocrisy, and to mean less than it declares" [Johnson], 1570s, complement, via French compliment (17c.), from Italian complimento "expression of respect and civility," from Vulgar Latin *complire, for Latin complere "to complete" (see complete (adj.)), via notion of "complete the obligations of politeness." Same word as complement but by a different etymological route; differentiated by spelling after 1650.

1610s, from French complimenter, from compliment (see compliment (n.)). Related: Complimented; complimenting.

Idioms and Phrases with compliment

compliment

see left-handed compliment; pay a compliment; return the compliment.