congratulate
/kənˈɡɹæd͡ʒ.ʊˌleɪt/ verb
Forms congratulates congratulating congratulated gratulate
- verb 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.”
- verb (reflexive) To consider oneself fortunate in some matter. “I congratulated myself on the success of my plan.”
Synonyms
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To address with expressions of sympathetic pleasure on account of some happy event affecting the person addressed; to wish joy to. It is the king's most sweet pleasure and affection to congratulate the princess at her pavilion. Shak.
- verb To express of feel sympathetic joy; as, to congratulate with one's country. [R.] Swift.
Etymology [L. congratulatus, p.p. of congratulari to wish joy abundantly; con- + gratulari to wish joy, from gratus pleasing. See Grateful.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “congratulate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details