congratulate
[verb]
Synonyms: compliment, pat on the back, wish joy to

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Contrasted words: belittle, depreciate, disparage, knock, run down, slur
Related Idioms: pat one on the back, tender (or offer) congratulation, wish one joy, wish one well
Related Words: applaud, laud, praise, bless, compliment

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English Thesaurus: praise, congratulate, compliment, flatter, rave about something, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

con‧grat‧u‧late /kənˈɡrætʃəleɪt, kənˈɡrætʃʊleɪt/ verb [transitive]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: past participle of congratulari 'to wish happiness', from com- ( ⇒ COM-) + gratus 'pleasing']

1. to tell someone that you are happy because they have achieved something or because something nice has happened to them:
He never even stopped to congratulate me.
congratulate somebody on something
She congratulated me warmly on my exam results.
congratulate somebody for (doing) something
All three are to be congratulated for doing so well.

2. congratulate yourself (on something) to feel pleased and proud of yourself because you have achieved something or something good has happened to you:
I congratulated myself on my good fortune.
—congratulatory /kənˌɡrætʃəˈleɪtəri, kənˌɡrætʃʊˈleɪtəri $ -ˈɡrætʃələtɔːri/ adjective:
congratulatory messages

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

congratulate
verb
ADV. warmly
VERB + CONGRATULATE must, wish to, would like to I must congratulate you on your excellent exam results.
PREP. for The employees should be congratulated for the part they have played in the success.
on She congratulated me warmly on my performance.
PHRASES sb is to be congratulated The company is to be congratulated on its success.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

congratulate
verb
BAD: First of all I'd like to congratulate you both for your wedding.
GOOD: First of all I'd like to congratulate you both on your wedding.

Usage Note:
congratulate sb on (doing ) sth : 'The President was among the first to congratulate the crew on the success of their mission.' 'On behalf of the school, I'd like to congratulate the first eleven on getting through to the final.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

praise to say that you admire and approve of someone or something, especially publicly:
The film was praised by the critics when it first came out.
The report praises staff in both schools.
It’s important to praise children.
congratulate to tell someone that you think it is good that they have achieved something:
I congratulated him on his success.
The government should be congratulated for what they have achieved.
compliment to say to someone that you like how they look, or you like something they have done:
She complimented me on my new hairstyle.
He complimented my cooking.
flatter to praise someone in order to please them or get something from them, even though you do not mean it:
He had persuaded her to buy it by flattering her and being charming.
You’re just flattering me!
rave about something (also enthuse about something formal) to talk about something you enjoy or admire in an excited way, and say that it is very good. Rave is rather informal, whereas enthuse is much more formal and is used mainly in written English:
Everyone is raving about the movie.
She enthused about the joys of motherhood.
applaud formal to publicly praise a decision, action, idea etc:
Business leaders applauded the decision.
A spokeperson applauded the way the festival had been run.
commend formal to praise someone or something, especially officially:
After the battle, Andrew Jackson commended him for ‘his courage and fidelity’.
The officers should be commended for their prompt action.
hail somebody/something as something especially written to describe someone or something in a way that shows you have a very good opinion of them, especially in newspapers, on television reports etc:
The book was hailed as a masterpiece.
Journalists and music writers hailed the band as ‘the next big thing’.
He is being hailed as the new James Dean.
give somebody praise
Give your dog plenty of praise when it behaves well.
get praise
His actions did not get the praise they deserved.
win/earn/receive praise
The trade deal won praise from the American business community.
deserve praise
She deserves praise for all the charity work she does.
be singled out for praise (=be the one person who is praised)
His work was singled out for praise by the examiners.
heap/lavish praise on somebody (=praise them a lot)
Ireland's manager has heaped praise on his team.
shower somebody with praise (=praise them a lot)
Taiwan's media lately showered praise on Li Yundi, the 18-year-old piano prodigy.
high praise (=a lot of praise)
The film won high praise from critics and audiences alike.
special praise
My sister was constantly singled out for special praise.
lavish praise (=very high praise)
United’s captain received lavish praise from his manager.
faint praise (=comments that seem to praise someone, but in a way that does not really give them much praise)
He wins faint praise as ‘the only candidate with a grain of sense’.
be full of praise for somebody (=praise them a lot)
Captain Jones was full of praise for his men.
have nothing but praise for somebody/something (=praise them a lot, especially when they have had to deal with a difficult situation)
Passengers had nothing but praise for the pilot.
words of praise
She still had some words of praise for her ex-husband’s wit and charm.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲