What does congratulate mean?
To congratulate someone is to express pleasure or admiration for their success, achievement, or happy occasion — a promotion, a wedding, an award, a new baby. The verb typically appears in the pattern 'congratulate someone on something,' as in 'We congratulated her on her retirement,' and carries an unfailingly positive, courteous connotation. It is slightly more formal than casual alternatives like 'well done' or 'way to go,' which gives it a natural home in speeches, letters, cards, and official announcements, though it remains perfectly ordinary in everyday conversation. The noun form 'congratulations' — often shortened informally to 'congrats' — is among the most familiar words of goodwill in English, and the adjective 'congratulatory' describes messages or gestures of this kind. Etymologically, the word descends from the Latin congratulatio, from congratulari, 'to rejoice together,' combining com- ('together') with gratalari ('to rejoice'), the same root behind gratitude and grateful. To congratulate, then, is quite literally to share in another's joy.
verbTo express joy or pleasure to someone about their success, good fortune, or a happy occasion.
- To express joy or praise to someone for their success, achievement, or good fortune (e.g., 'I congratulated her on winning the award').
"Her colleagues gathered to congratulate her on the promotion."
"The principal congratulated the students on their outstanding exam results."
""Allow me to congratulate you," he said, raising his glass to the newlyweds."
When you congratulate someone, you literally 'wish them joy' — the word is built from Latin gratulari, 'to rejoice,' the same root that gives us grateful and gratitude.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of congratulate
Congratulate comes from the Latin verb congratulari, meaning 'to rejoice together' or 'to wish joy,' formed from com- ('with, together') and gratalari ('to rejoice'), a frequentative of gratus ('pleasing, thankful'). It entered English in the early 17th century, initially sometimes used to mean simply 'to rejoice' before settling into its modern transitive sense of expressing joy to another person. It shares its Latin root with gratitude, grateful, ingratiate, and the rarer English verb gratulate, making 'to congratulate' etymologically an act of shared thankfulness and joy.
Related word forms
How congratulate is actually used
Standard register is neutral-to-formal; in everyday speech, shorter expressions like 'well done' or ' congrats' are more common. The verb almost always takes the pattern 'congratulate someone on something.' The plural noun 'congratulations' is far more frequent in speech than the verb itself.
Easily confused with congratulate
Congratulate expresses joy at someone's good fortune, while commiserate expresses sympathy for their misfortune.