Definition

1. Verb:
   • To congratulate: To express joy or praise to someone for a happy event or personal achievement. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • (Archaic) To make happy: To cause someone to be happy or joyful. This meaning is now rare and considered obsolete in modern usage.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (To congratulate):
  • The committee will felicitate the award winners at the ceremony.
  • I called to felicitate her on her promotion.
  • They felicitated the newlyweds with a heartfelt toast.

Advanced Usage

• The verb is typically used in formal or ceremonial contexts. It is more formal than the more common verb "congratulate."
• It is almost always used transitively, followed by the person being congratulated. The reason for the congratulations is usually introduced by the preposition "on" (e.g., ).
• The past participle "felicitated" can be used as an adjective in formal contexts.
  • The felicitated author gave a short speech of thanks.

Variants and Related Words

• Felicitations (noun, plural): A formal word for congratulations.
  • Please accept my felicitations on your marriage.
• Felicitous (adjective): Well-chosen or suited to the circumstances; pleasing and fortunate.
  • Her felicitous remark eased the tension in the room.
• Felicity (noun): 1. Great happiness. 2. The ability to find appropriate expression.
  • They lived a life of domestic felicity.
  • The poet is known for her felicity of phrase.

Synonyms

• Congratulate: To express pleasure and good wishes to someone for their success or good fortune. (This is the most direct synonym.)
• Compliment: To politely praise or express admiration for someone.
• Extol: To praise enthusiastically and highly.

Antonyms

• Condemn: To express complete disapproval.
• Criticize: To indicate the faults of someone or something.
• Commiserate: To express sympathy or sorrow for someone's misfortune (the opposite sentiment).

Notes on Usage

• "Felicitate" is a formal term. In everyday conversation, "congratulate" is far more common.
• The archaic meaning ("to make happy") is virtually never used in contemporary English and is primarily of historical or literary interest.

Verb

1. express congratulations