complimentary
English
editEtymology
editFrom compliment (noun) + -ary.[1]
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/
- (General American) enPR: kŏm'plĭ-mĕnʹtə-rē, -trē, IPA(key): /ˌkɑmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/
Audio (US): (file) - Homophone: complementary
- Rhymes: -ɛntəɹi, -ɛntɹi
- Hyphenation: com‧pli‧men‧ta‧ry
Adjective
editcomplimentary (comparative more complimentary, superlative most complimentary)
- In the nature of a compliment.
- Antonym: uncomplimentary
- a complimentary remark
- 1877 August 25, Mark Twain, The Letters of Mark Twain, volume 3,2004, page 56:
- But yesterday evening late, when Lewis arrived from down town he found his supper spread, and some presents of books there, with very complimentary writings on the fly-leaves, and certain very complimentary letters, and more or less greenbacks of dignified denomination pinned to those letters and fly-leaves...
- Free; provided at no charge.
- Synonyms: free of charge; see also Thesaurus:gratis
- complimentary drinks
- 2005, Vivien Lougheed, Belize Pocket Adventures, page 65:
- In the evenings, Ward and PJ offer guests a complimentary drink. This gesture seems to reinforce the hosts' desire to make everyone feel welcome.
- With respect to the closing of a letter, formal and professional.
- 2003, Richard H. Beatty, The Perfect Cover Letter:
- The complimentary closing is the word grouping used to bring the message or text to a close.
Usage notes
edit- Complimentary and its homophone complementary are frequently confused and misused in place of one another.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editin the nature of a compliment
|
free; provided at no charge — see also free of charge
|
with respect to the closing of a letter, formal and professional
|
References
edit- ^ “complimentary, adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
Further reading
edit- complimentary on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Categories:
- English terms suffixed with -ary
- English 5-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English terms with homophones
- Rhymes:English/ɛntəɹi
- Rhymes:English/ɛntɹi
- Rhymes:English/ɛntɹi/4 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English 4-syllable words