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congratular

to congratulate

verb kohn-grah-too-LAHR Rare
Communication Speech

Origin: From Latin 'congratulari', from 'con-' (together) + 'gratulari' (to rejoice).

Usage Note

Congratular is the more formal register of 'to congratulate'; in everyday speech felicitar is far more common. The reflexive form congratularse de/por algo means to rejoice in or be pleased about something — a subtly different meaning. Learners who know the English cognate 'congratulate' will find the spelling and stress pattern familiar.

Examples

"El director fue a congratular a los ganadores del concurso."

Natural Translation

The director went to congratulate the competition winners.

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