Congratulate

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Congratulate \Con*grat"u*late\, v. i.
     To express of feel sympathetic joy; as, to congratulate with
     one's country. [R.] --Swift.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The subjects of England may congratulate to themselves.


                                                    --Dryden.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           It is the king's most sweet pleasure and affection to
           congratulate the princess at her pavilion. --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {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.
            [1913 Webster]
  
                  Felicitations are little better than
                  compliments; congratulations are the expression
                  of a genuine sympathy and joy.    --Trench.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  congratulate
       v 1: say something to someone that expresses praise; "He
            complimented her on her last physics paper" [syn: {compliment}]
       2: express congratulations [syn: {felicitate}]
       3: be proud of; "He prides himself on making it into law
          school" [syn: {pride}, {plume}]
       4: pride or congratulate (oneself) for an achievement [syn: {preen}]