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.
If your biggest fear going into retirement was that your money would run out before the end of your life, congratulations for making it to the mountaintop.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
On Saturday he tweeted his congratulations to four primary winners in New York City, including the three DSA insurgents, complete with their photographs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
Trump offered his hearty congratulations to De la Espriella on Monday.
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
A good friend from theater school, we did every play together, he called me when I moved to L.A. and was like, “Dude, congratulations on your AT&T commercial!”
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
When her Cougars Care Project was featured on the local news 2 weeks ago, I almost told her congratulations.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
