gratulatory
- adjective
- /ˌɡrætʃəˈleɪtəri/
- We received several gratulatory cards when we announced our engagement.
Examples
-
The manager sent a gratulatory email to the team after they successfully completed the project.
-
Her gratulatory words made him feel appreciated for his hard work.
-
Sometimes I thought she viewed me as a rival for her husband's affections, though reflecting further, I rejected this as altogether too egotistical and self-gratulatory.
Fiction book (1996)
Synonyms
23
4.2
Saying good things about someone to show you admire them
13
4.1
Showing praise and happiness for someone's success or good news
3
6.6
Giving praise in a way that sounds too excited and not honest
1
3.7
Showing kind feelings for another person's happiness or success
1
7.5
Showing praise for someone or something
1
8.9
Being full of praise for someone, often in a formal way
1
9.9
Expressing strong praise, often in formal language
1
8.8
Showing praise or approval
1
6.6
Showing approval by saying good things about someone or their work
1
9.9
Giving very strong praise in a formal speech or writing
Showing approval or praise for something
How Congratulatory
Surface Forms
Morphology
gratulatory = gratulate (transparent) = gratulate + ory
Formed from the verb 'gratulate' with the standard adjectival suffix '-ory', meaning 'expressing congratulations', so the meaning is directly derived.
Etymology
Gratulatory comes from the Latin gratus, meaning 'pleasing' or 'thankful', and from the verb gratulate, which means to give congratulations. So a gratulatory message shows pleasure and good wishes for someone's success.