Free food is Complimentary. When something is free, it is described as complimentary (as in “complimentary food”).
Key takeaways:
Compliment refers to praise or a positive remark. It’s something you say to appreciate someone or something.
A complement completes or enhances something else, making it more complete or better.
A compliment is used when expressing admiration, flattery, remarks, or praise, either as a noun (“She gave a compliment”) or a verb (“He complimented me on my work”).
Complement is used when something enhances or completes something else, either as a noun (“The sauce is a perfect complement”) or verb (“The new features complement the product”).
Part of the series Grammar Debugged—English for Devs
In the English language, the terms compliment and complement are often confused due to their similar pronunciation, yet they hold distinct meanings. Understanding the difference between these two can help clarify communication and writing skills, as each serves a unique purpose in everyday language and specialized contexts. In this Answer, we will break down each term, provide clear examples, and help you avoid common mistakes.
Both complement and compliment can function as both
The word compliment is mostly used as a noun or verb. As a noun, it refers to a positive remark about someone or something. As a verb, it means to praise or admire something or someone.
Example (as a noun): She gave me a lovely compliment on my watch.
Example (as a verb): He complimented her on her excellent grades.
It’s very inexpensive to give a compliment—Joyce Meyer
To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.—George MacDonald
Let’s explore different examples of compliment as a noun and verb to better understand how it’s used.
As already mentioned, compliment can be used either as a verb or a noun. Complimentary, however, is an adjective.
Example: The reporter was very complimentary about the actor’s work.
It can also describe something provided for free, usually as a gesture of goodwill or courtesy.
Example: The garlic bread is complimentary with your pasta.
The word complement is primarily used as a noun. It refers to something that completes or enhances another thing, making it better or more complete. It can also be used as a verb, meaning to complete or enhance.
Example (noun): The sauce is a perfect complement to the chips.
Example (verb): The new design complements the overall aesthetic of the building.
Let’s explore complement meaning in various technical contexts to better understand how it’s used.
Mistake 1: Using compliment for things that complete or enhance
Wrong: Her blue dress is a compliment to her personality.
Correct: Her blue dress is a complement to her personality.
Mistake 2: Using complement for praise
Wrong: The chef received a complement for his exceptional cooking.
Correct: The chef received a compliment for his exceptional cooking.
Complement and compliment are homophones—words that sound the same but have different meanings. The pronunciation of both is kom-pli-ment. To listen to how it is pronounced, click the play button:
Key differences | Compliment | Complement |
Meaning | A positive remark or praise | Completes or enhances another thing |
Part of Speech | Noun or verb | Noun or verb |
Use as a Noun | She gave me a wonderful compliment on my dress at the party. | The sauce is the perfect complement to the steak. |
Use as a Verb | He complimented her on the performance. | Her skills in design complemented his technical expertise perfectly. |
Synonyms | Praise, admiration | Addition, enhancement |
Fill in the blanks with either Complement or Compliment to test your understanding!
Your piano skills are truly a ___ to your musical talent.
complement
Thanks for the great advice! That was a wonderful ___.
compliment
That was a lovely ___ about my painting.
In Harry Potter, Harry and Hermione are a perfect ___ in friendship.
Your jacket and shoes ___ so well together.
Check out our course on “Grokking the Technical Writing Process,” which will provide insights into technical writing, audience analysis, creating coherent paragraphs, iterative improvement, and mastering parts of speech and punctuation for impactful and well-structured communication.
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To enhance technical writing and minimize common grammar mistakes, continue exploring these topics:
Commonly confused words (homophones & similar-sounding words): These words sound alike but have different meanings and spellings.
Prepositions & usage differences: These words and phrases are often confused due to subtle contextual differences.
Punctuation & formatting: These involve rules for using dashes, abbreviations, and sentence structure.
Grammar & sentence structure: These deal with pronoun choices, verb usage, and comparison.
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