complement
/ˈkɑmpləmənt/
nounverb
Familiar
1.n.a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction
2.n.a complete number or quantity
“a full complement”
3.n.number needed to make up a whole force
“a full complement of workers”
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complement and compliment differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. complement means “a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction”. compliment means “say something to someone that expresses praise”. compliment is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkɑmpləmənt/
1.n.a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction
2.n.a complete number or quantity
“a full complement”
3.n.number needed to make up a whole force
“a full complement of workers”
| complement | compliment | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑmpləmənt/ | /ˈkɑmpləmɛnt/ |
| Said | KAHM-pluh-muhnt | KAHM-pluh-ment |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Letters | 10 | 10 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | verb, noun |
| Senses | 7 | 3 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | congratulate |
Full entry for complement · Full entry for compliment · More comparisons
/ˈkɑmpləmɛnt/
1.v.say something to someone that expresses praise
“He complimented her on her last physics paper”
2.v.express respect or esteem for
3.n.a remark (or act) expressing praise and admiration