compliment

Everyday

1. A compliment is something nice you say to praise someone or show you admire them. tree →
2. To compliment someone is to say something nice about them or what they did. tree →
3. «Compliments» (formal) means good wishes, as in «with our compliments». tree →

In the lessons

In manners lessons, giving and accepting compliments politely matters: say «thank you» when someone compliments you, and give honest compliments about effort and kindness, not only looks. In stories, compliments show characters being kind, or sometimes a trickster flattering someone to get something. Phrases: «pay someone a compliment», «take it as a compliment», «fish for compliments», «compliment someone on something».

Examples

• She paid me a compliment about my drawing. tree →
• When someone gives you a compliment, say thank you. tree →
• He complimented the cook on the delicious meal. tree →
• "You worked really hard" is a good compliment. tree →
• I'll take that as a compliment! tree →
• The fox flattered the crow with false compliments. tree →
• My teacher complimented me on my neat writing. tree →
• Free drinks with the compliments of the hotel. tree →
• “In a way,” said Smee, “it’s sort of a compliment.” tree →

Note

Do not confuse with «complement» (with an e), which means something that goes well with something else or completes it; and in maths, complementary angles add up to 90°. Trick: a compliment says «I like» — both have i. Flattery is false or exaggerated praise used to get something.