ENGLISH
REFERENCE

congratulated

v.
B1 Intermediate US //kənˈɡɹætʃəˌɫeɪtɪd// UK //kənɡɹˈætʃʊlˌeɪtɪd// con·grat·u·lat·ed

v. to tell someone that you are happy for their success or for something good that happened to them. It is the past form of 'congratulate'.

v. the past tense and past participle of 'congratulate', meaning to express praise or pleasure to a person on the occasion of a success or lucky event. Often used in the passive voice.


SIMPLE

She congratulated him on his promotion.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager congratulated the entire team after they successfully launched the new software ahead of schedule.

COMPLEX

Having surpassed all quarterly sales targets, the regional director was warmly congratulated by the board of directors during the annual gala.

Synonyms
Usage

Transitive; typically takes the preposition 'on' followed by the reason for the praise.

Pitfall

I congratulated him for his successI congratulated him on his successIn English, you congratulate someone 'on' an achievement, not 'for' it.

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