The Collaborative International Dictionary
Congratulate \Con*grat"u*late\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Congratulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Congratulating.] [L. congratulatus, p. p. of congratulari to wish joy abundantly; con- + gratulari to wish joy, from gratus pleasing. See Grateful.] 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.
To congratulate one's self, to rejoice; to feel satisfaction; to consider one's self happy or fortunate.
Syn: To Congratulate, Felicitate.
Usage: To felicitate is simply to wish a person joy. To congratulate has the additional signification of uniting in the joy of him whom we congratulate. Hence they are by no means synonymous. One who has lost the object of his affections by her marriage to a rival, might perhaps felicitate that rival on his success, but could never be expected to congratulate him on such an event.
Felicitations are little better than
compliments; congratulations are the expression
of a genuine sympathy and joy.
--Trench.
Wiktionary
vb. (en-past of: congratulate)
Usage examples of "congratulated".
I congratulated them on their success, and congratulated myself in their presence upon being the possessor of a thing to which I had until then attached no importance whatever, but which I promised to cultivate carefully, knowing that I could thus be of some service to their excellencies.
I congratulated myself on having the preference, and I vowed to do my best for her did it cost me my life.
I congratulated myself because she had taken the first, most difficult, and most important step.
That was all I wanted, and thinking that I had nothing more to fear I congratulated myself, in petto, upon my stratagem, which had, I thought, proved a master-stroke.
Although I had not a penny in my pocket and had two rivers to cross over, I congratulated myself on having got rid of a man of his character, for by myself I felt confident of being able to cross the bounds of the Republic.
Querini, the ambassador congratulated her upon her marriage with him, saying that he was glad M.
We spent two hours in the preliminary contest, at the end of which we congratulated one another, on her part for having contrived to resist, on mine for having controlled my impatience.
At all events, free, rich, and certain of presenting myself before the bishop with a respectable appearance, and not like a beggar, I soon recovered my natural spirits, and congratulated myself upon having bought sufficient experience to insure me against falling a second time an easy prey to a Father Corsini, to thieving gamblers, to mercenary women, and particularly to the impudent scoundrels who barefacedly praise so well those they intend to dupe--a species of knaves very common in the world, even amongst people who form what is called good society.
I was delighted to see that no one disturbed me to offer me some food, and I congratulated myself upon having dismissed my servant.
I congratulated them upon the mutual inclination they felt for each other, and I saw that they were pleased not to have to blush on that account.
When he heard that I had given up business he congratulated me on not having removed it into Holland, as I should have been ruined.
Grimani congratulated me warmly on my good luck, and promised all his friendly care to secure a good boarding-house, to which I would go at the beginning of the year, and where I would wait for the bishop's arrival.
He tried it, and congratulated me on my invention, as this was a necessary part of my scheme, as otherwise the rope hanging down would have immediately discovered me.
We jested at the expense of the worthy man who had trusted me with a jewel of which I was about to make such good use, and we congratulated each other on the prospect of a week's mutual pleasures.
I longed to enter the road which was to lead me to it, and I congratulated myself that I could leave my country without any regret.