compliment

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑmpləmənt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒmplɪmənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: complement

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French compliment, itself a borrowing of Italian complimento, which in turn is a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir (“to comply, complete, do what is proper”) + -miento or Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complement. Displaced Old English ġeswǣsnes.

Noun

compliment (plural compliments)

1. An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.

   pay someone a compliment

   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     […] I met him
     With customary compliment; when he,
     Wafting his eyes to the contrary and falling
     A lip of much contempt, speeds from me and
     So leaves me to consider what is breeding
     That changeth thus his manners.

   • 1671, John Milton, “The Fourth Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 65:

     [...] what honour that,
     but tedious waste of time, to sit and hear
     So many hollow compliments and lies,
     Outlandish flatteries?

   • 1782, William Cowper, “Table Talk”, in Poems‎^[1], London: J. Johnson, page 37:

     Virtue indeed meets many a rhiming friend,
     And many a compliment politely penn’d,

2. (uncountable) Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
   • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar‎^[2], London, page 25:

     He told the Captain, He was heartily sorry for his Misfortunes; tho’ in my Opinion that was nothing but a Compliment: For, as I found afterwards, he was more brutish, and dishonest, than most of the other Kings on the Island […]

   • 1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter III, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book I, page 48:

     This accomplished man condescended to think of a young girl, and take the pains to talk to her, not with absurd compliment, but with an appeal to her understanding, and sometimes with instructive correction.

3. Misspelling of complement.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:praise

Antonyms

• insult

Derived terms

• backhanded compliment
• backward compliment (backwards compliment)
• Chinese compliment
• complimental
• complimentary
• compliment fishing
• complisult
• dubious compliment
• left-handed compliment
• miscompliment
• poisoned compliment
• poisonous compliment
• pseudo-compliment
• with compliments

 

Translations

expression of praise, congratulation or respect

• Arabic: مَدْحَة f (madḥa)

  Hijazi Arabic: مَدْحَة f (madḥa), مُجامَلة f (mujāmala)

• Armenian: հաճոյախոսություն (hy) (hačoyaxosutʻyun), կոմպլիմենտ (hy) (kompliment)
• Belarusian: кампліме́нт m (kamplimjént), пахвала́ f (paxvalá)
• Bulgarian: похвала́ (bg) f (pohvalá), любе́зност (bg) f (ljubéznost), комплиме́нт (bg) m (komplimént)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 稱讚／称赞 (zh) (chēngzàn), 道賀／道贺 (zh) (dàohè)

• Czech: poklona f, kompliment (cs) m
• Danish: kompliment c
• Dutch: compliment (nl)
• Finnish: kohteliaisuus (fi), kohteliaisuudenosoitus
• French: compliment (fr) m
• German: Kompliment (de) n, Lob (de) n, Anerkennung (de) f, Achtungsbezeugung (de) f, Ehrenbezeigung f
• Greek: φιλοφρόνηση (el) f (filofrónisi)
• Hebrew: מחמאה (he) f (makhma'á)
• Hindi: तारीफ़ f (tārīf), प्रशंसा (hi) f (praśansā)
• Hungarian: bók (hu)
• Italian: complimento (it) m
• Japanese: お世辞 (ja) (おせじ, oseji)
• Korean: 칭찬 (ko) (chingchan), 찬사 (ko) (chansa)
• Maori: whakamihi
• Norwegian Bokmål: komplimang m
• Old English: ġeswǣsnes f
• Polish: komplement (pl) m, pochwała (pl) f, pochlebstwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: elogio (pt) m
• Romanian: compliment (ro) n
• Russian: комплиме́нт (ru) m (komplimént), похвала́ (ru) f (poxvalá), любе́зность (ru) f (ljubéznostʹ)
• Sanskrit: चाटुक्ति f (cāṭukti), चाटु (sa) m (cāṭu)
• Slovak: kompliment m
• Spanish: cumplido (es) m, falago (es) m, halago (es) m
• Swedish: komplimang (sv) c
• Thai: คำชมเชย
• Turkish: övgü (tr), iltifat (tr), kompliman (tr)
• Ukrainian: компліме́нт (uk) (komplimént), похвала́ (poxvalá), люб'я́зність (ljubʺjáznistʹ)
• Vietnamese: lời khen (vi)

courtesy, flattery

• Bulgarian: комплимент (bg) m (kompliment)
• Finnish: kohteliaisuus (fi); imartelu (fi) (flattery)
• German: Kompliment (de) n, Schmeichelei (de) f, Höflichkeitsbezeigung f, Höflichkeitsbezeugung f
• Spanish: falago (es) m, halago (es) m

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French complimenter, from compliment + -er (verb-forming suffix).

Verb

compliment (third-person singular simple present compliments, present participle complimenting, simple past and past participle complimented)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To pay a compliment (to someone); to express a favourable opinion (of someone).

   Antonym: insult

   • 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, book II (Pleasure), page 457:

     […] She transferr'd the curs'd Advice, / That Monarchs ſhould their inward Soul diſguise, / Diſſemble, and command; be falſe, and wiſe; / By ignominous Arts for ſervile Ends / Should compliment their Foes, and ſhun their Friends.

2. Misspelling of complement.

Derived terms

• complimentable
• complimentative
• complimentee
• complimenter
• outcompliment
• overcompliment

 

Translations

to pay a compliment; to express a favorable opinion

• Arabic: مَدَحَ (madaḥa)
• Armenian: հաճոյախոսել (hy) (hačoyaxosel), կոմպլիմենտ անել (kompliment anel)
• Belarusian: каза́ць кампліме́нты impf (kazácʹ kamplimjénty)
• Bulgarian: хваля (bg) (hvalja), правя комплимент (pravja kompliment)
• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Danish: komplimentere
• Dutch: complimenteren (nl), een compliment geven
• Finnish: lausua kohteliaisuus
• French: complimenter (fr), faire un compliment, faire des compliments
• German: beglückwünschen (de), ein Kompliment machen, loben (de), komplimentieren (de)
• Greek: κολακεύω (el) (kolakévo), επαινώ (el) (epainó), παινεύω (el) (painévo)
• Hebrew: הֶחְמִיא (heẖmí)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: bókol (hu)
• Italian: complimentarsi (it)
• Maori: whakamihi
• Norwegian: komplimentere (no), gi kompliment
• Portuguese: elogiar (pt)
• Russian: говори́ть комплиме́нты impf (govorítʹ kompliménty)
• Spanish: felicitar (es), cumplimentar (es), falagar (es), halagar (es)
• Swedish: ge en komplimang, komplimentera (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: iltifat etmek (tr)
• Vietnamese: khen ngợi (vi), ca tụng (vi)

See also

• complement

Catalan

Etymology

From complir. Cf. also Spanish cumplimiento, Latin complementum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kum.pliˈmen]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [kom.pliˈment]

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment

Derived terms

• complimentar
• complimentós

Further reading

• “compliment”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French compliment, from Italian complimento, from Old Spanish cumplimiento.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkɔm.pliˈmɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: com‧pli‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

compliment n (plural complimenten, diminutive complimentje n)

1. compliment

Derived terms

• complimenteus

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: kòmplimènt

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian complimento, itself a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complément.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.pli.mɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment (positive comment)

Derived terms

• complimenter

Further reading

• “compliment”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French compliment.

Noun

compliment n (plural complimente)

1. compliment

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	compliment	complimentul		complimente	complimentele
genitive-dative	compliment	complimentului		complimente	complimentelor
vocative	complimentule			complimentelor