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.
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
Arsenal's win also prompted messages of congratulations on social media.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
“Thank you, and congratulations to Microsoft!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 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
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.
