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What is "compliment"

Crossword clues for compliment

compliment
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
compliment
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
compliment slip
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
great
▪ No great compliments, no thanks.
▪ No greater compliment can be paid to the forthright intelligence of any businessman than to say that he understands production.
▪ It was as if, in not knowing, he'd paid her a great compliment.
▪ To Joe the greatest compliment was to be considered amusing, the greatest insult to be thought boring.
▪ As for the comparison to Brigitte Bardot, it's a great compliment, because she is very beautiful.
▪ She said it was just like you which is the greatest compliment she can give-and we can receive....
▪ People still think the greatest compliment they can pay you is to say that you look younger than your age.
▪ If they decide to emulate you this is fine, a great compliment.
■ VERB
accept
▪ People tend to opt out, criticize themselves, not accept compliments, not make decisions and feel frustrated.
▪ Try to accept all compliments graciously.
▪ You have accepted a compliment gracefully, without trying to pretend you don't deserve it.
▪ Compliments Not accepting compliments is another example of aggressive behaviour.
▪ Well, that's a form of flattery - I accept the compliment.
give
▪ Some of his displays have reminded me of Gerald Davies at his best - and I can give no-one a greater compliment.
▪ Please give my compliments to Captain Tynes, and thank him for the smooth ride.
▪ Let us face it, it helps to know a person to give an effective compliment, or constructive criticism.
▪ In my early twenties I found that I would become aggressive when I was given a compliment.
▪ People can be very shy about giving compliments.
mean
▪ They've put together a side of young lads and journeyman pros, and that is meant as a compliment.
▪ Rahimullah, I think, meant it as a compliment.
pay
▪ It was as if, in not knowing, he'd paid her a great compliment.
▪ We suggest that it enables the parents to pay a compliment to close friends by inviting them to be godparents.
▪ By using the word man, Ian was paying me a compliment.
▪ We suggest that the choosing of the names for the child enables the parents to pay compliments to other relatives.
▪ Yes, Shelley could see why - the young man undoubtedly wasn't too ill to pay compliments.
▪ Nehru, having accepted Commonwealth membership, was content to pay Mountbatten the compliment.
▪ He wasn't paying her a compliment.
receive
▪ This was a truly superb feeling and we received some good compliments, that made it all worthwhile.
▪ Did Jessica receive a compliment from her supervisor?
▪ They received a rare compliment from the enemy themselves.
▪ It isn't always easy to receive compliments, especially if you're not used to them.
return
▪ As she pulled on a tan leather blouson, she eyed me warily, and I returned the compliment.
▪ Hardin returned the compliment with a blaster specifically borrowed for the occasion.
▪ One year later, the Eastbourne Road school is returning the compliment.
▪ If they failed to understand the settled peasants, the latter returned the compliment.
▪ Characteristically, Scargill is not returning the compliment and is not planning to co-operate with the alliance.
▪ I have ventured into the use of your name several times but you have not returned the compliment.
▪ What else to do but return the compliment?
▪ Cheltenham's Tory faithful welcomed the Lady and she returned the compliment.
take
▪ He would only assume that she attached some importance to his opinion and take it as a compliment.
▪ Find it hard to take compliments?
▪ But when she heard such things, Privet took it as a compliment.
▪ But the members of Greyhound Soul take it as a compliment, as it was meant to be taken.
▪ I take that as a compliment.
▪ It may even be taken as a compliment that they save room for your desserts.
▪ It is taken as a compliment because a man with a reputation as dangerous will be respected.
▪ I did not quite know what they meant but I took it as a compliment.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
fish for compliments
left-handed compliment
present your apologies/compliments etc
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ ''You have lovely hair'', said Bob to Emma, who blushed at the compliment.
▪ "You look great!" "Thanks for the compliment."
▪ He's always paying her compliments and buying her flowers.
▪ Rob always showered me with compliments and made me feel special.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Devote most of your time to reinforcing good behavior, with smiles, hugs, compliments or special privileges.
▪ In any walk of life that would be a compliment.
▪ In my opinion, comparison to the Nature Conservancy is a compliment.
▪ It was the third time she had failed to agree with his criticism and offered a compensating compliment.
▪ Station commander's compliments, and could Major Schramm spare him a few minutes?
▪ The appointment represented an extraordinary compliment to Giap, the former schoolteacher.
▪ We suggest that the choosing of the names for the child enables the parents to pay compliments to other relatives.
▪ Yet his manner made it clear that he was simply stating a fact, not flattering with a compliment.
II.verb
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
left-handed compliment
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ She blushed when men complimented her.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Stephany received loud, sustained applause when complimented by Roberts yesterday.
▪ The man complimented him on his footwork and suggested that he apply for a dance host position.
▪ They complimented each other for their ability to collaborate effectively as a team.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Compliment

Compliment \Com"pli*ment\, n. [F. compliment. It complimento, fr. comlire to compliment, finish, suit, fr. L. complere to fill up. See Complete, and cf. Complement.] An expression, by word or act, of approbation, regard, confidence, civility, or admiration; a flattering speech or attention; a ceremonious greeting; as, to send one's compliments to a friend.

Tedious waste of time, to sit and hear So many hollow compliments and lies.
--Milton.

Many a compliment politely penned.
--Cowper.

To make one a compliment, to show one respect; to praise one in a flattering way.
--Locke.

To make one's compliments to, to offer formal courtesies to.

To stand on compliment, to treat with ceremony.

Syn: See Adulation.

Compliment

Compliment \Com"pli*ment\, v. t. To praise, flatter, or gratify, by expressions of approbation, respect, or congratulation; to make or pay a compliment to.

Monarchs should their inward soul disguise; . . . Should compliment their foes and shun their friends.
--Prior.

Syn: To praise; flatter; adulate; commend.

Compliment

Compliment \Com"pli*ment\, v. i. To pass compliments; to use conventional expressions of respect.

I make the interlocutors, upon occasion, compliment with one another.
--Boyle.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
compliment

"An act, or expression of civility, usually understood to include some hypocrisy, and to mean less than it declares" [Johnson], 1570s, complement, via French compliment (17c.), from Italian complimento "expression of respect and civility," from Vulgar Latin *complire, for Latin complere "to complete" (see complete (adj.)), via notion of "complete the obligations of politeness." Same word as complement but by a different etymological route; differentiated by spelling after 1650.

compliment

1610s, from French complimenter, from compliment (see compliment (n.)). Related: Complimented; complimenting.

Wiktionary
compliment

n. 1 An expression of praise, congratulation, encouragement, or respect. 2 (context uncountable English) Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery. 3 (misconstruction of complement English) vb. 1 (context ambitransitive English) To pay a compliment (to); to express a favorable opinion (of). 2 (misspelling of complement English)

Related phrases:
WordNet
compliment

n. a remark (or act) expressing praise and admiration

compliment

  1. v. say something to someone that expresses praise; "He complimented her on her last physics paper" [syn: congratulate]

  2. express respect or esteem for

Wikipedia
Compliment

A compliment is an expression of praise, congratulation or encouragement.

Compliment may also refer to:

  • Compliment, a formalized respectful action paid to a superior, such as saluting an officer in the armed forces
  • Compliment, a typeface by Ludwig & Mayer
  • Backhanded compliment, an insult disguised as a compliment
  • Compliment, an angle when added to another angle sum to ninety degrees.

Compliments may refer to:

  • Compliments (album), an album by Jerry Garcia
  • "Compliments" (Band of Horses song)
  • "Compliments" (Bloc Party song)
  • Compliments slip, a small acknowledgement note, less formal than a letter

Usage examples of "compliment".

Indeed, in remarks made later before the Navy Board, he would pay Adams as high a compliment as he knew.

Adams already knew of his friendship, Madison advised, and were Adams to prove a failure as President, such compliments and confidence in him as Jefferson had put in writing could prove politically embarrassing.

She had been complimented by Mother Aglee herself on the clarity of her report on the ill-fated expedition to the sunside of First Planet.

The cosmopolitan Antiochenes returned the compliment, regarding Romans as mere duffers in depravity, philistines in art, but capable in war and government, and consequently to be feared, if not respected.

To each was assigned, by the public, a guard, and a council of a hundred persons, and the first of the princes appears to have enjoyed a preeminence of rank and honor which sometimes tempted the Romans to compliment him with the regal title.

Lord Belton uttered his compliment in the same smooth tone Lord Kilcairn used when he wished to be charming.

He complimented him on his uniform, and then, at last, Berthon brought him the paper.

He only spoke once, to compliment Blackburn on the Old Milwaukee beer in the refrigerator.

She was high-spirited, even-tempered, and had a natural art which did not allow her to seem to understand too flattering a compliment, or a joke which passed in any way the bounds of propriety.

As you pass through the cardroom, please give my compliments to Rusty and tell him to drag his lazy carcass in here.

It was poked through the crack of the cardroom door, gripped by an intruder who had gained that wedge while Stan and Marcia had been exchanging ill-meant compliments.

Canada Lady Cartier and my daughters have asked me not to forget to present to you and Lady Watkin their best wishes and kindest regards, to remember them kindly to your son, and to offer their compliments to Miss Watkin, in the hope of making her acquaintance hereafter.

Kroft may have been trying to pay us a compliment, but his categorization of our marriage was so off target that Bill was incredulous.

She glanced up and smiled at him but she did not wave him to approach, and he was forced to stand against the wood-paneled walls with the dozen or so other men who had risen early to pay their compliments and found that Cecil had got in first.

In the coldest tone of voice I could dredge up, I complimented his performance and said I was done with him now.