congratulatory

American

[kuhn-grach-uh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, -graj-, kuhng-] / kənˈgrætʃ ə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, -ˈgrædʒ-, kəŋ- /

adjective

expressing or conveying congratulations.

a congratulatory telegram.

Other Word Forms

noncongratulatory adjective
quasi-congratulatory adjective
uncongratulatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of congratulatory

1515–25; < Medieval Latin congrātulātōrius, equivalent to Latin congrātulā ( rī ) ( congratulate ) + -tōrious -tory ¹

Vocabulary lists containing congratulatory

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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.

He has always been congratulatory of me, almost proud of me in a sense.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Xi sent a "congratulatory message" to Doumbouya on Sunday, state news agency Xinhua reported.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

“Eastward, Westward” is the opposite of congratulatory: It is courtly and self-effacing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

They traded congratulatory speeches and cut into a sheet cake.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025

The windows open, and a kaleidoscope of congratulatory post-balloons pours in from every corner of the kingdom.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023