congratulate

To express one’s sympathetic pleasure or joy to the person(s) it is felt for

Verb

  1. To express one’s sympathetic pleasure or joy to the person(s) it is felt for
    • Remind me to congratulate Dave and Lisa on their wedding.
    • We must congratulate Dave and Lisa on getting married.
    • Ronaldo Sr., who is the record goalscorer in men’s international soccer with 136 goals for Portugal, congratulated his son on his Instagram Stories by posting a picture of his name on the squad list, saying: “Proud of...

    Synonyms: felicitate compliment

  2. To consider oneself fortunate in some matter.
    • I congratulated myself on the success of my plan.

Origin

First attested in 1548; borrowed from Latin congrātulātus, the perfect active participle of Latin congrātulor (“to wish joy, rejoice (with); to congratulate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from con- + grātulor, from grātus (“grateful, pleasing, agreeable, beloved”) + -or. By surface analysis, con- + gratulate.

Forms

congratulates congratulating congratulated gratulate

Related

congratulation congratulations

Derived

congratulable congratulant congratulating congratulative congratulator congratulatory recongratulate self-congratulate uncongratulated uncongratulating