Complement Vs Compliment

We all love compliments or is it a complement? This is exactly what we wish to clear through this article. Out of all the confusing words, these two terms are commonly confused. But, it should not be as they are very different from each other. While the roots of compliment and complement lie in the Latin language, their meanings are a tad bit different. The roots are in the Latin word complēre which means ‘to complete’. The term complement is derived from the Latin word complementum. On the other hand, the word compliment comes from an Italian and Spanish word which means ‘to be courteous’ and ‘to perform what is due’. Thus, we will learn the difference between complement vs compliment through this article.

The words of compliment and complement are quite confusing because of their pronunciation as well as their almost similar spelling. As the meaning of these terms is different, we must use them correctly. If you do not use them correctly, the entire message will be misinterpreted, which no one wants. A compliment is when someone gives you a positive comment. On the other hand, a complement is when two things appear or perform better. Thus, we will learn about complement vs compliment over here.

Difference Between Complement Vs Compliment

Both the terms of compliment and complement are homophones, meaning they have the same pronunciation but different spelling and meaning. A compliment can be used as a verb or a noun which relates to praising someone. It expresses gratefulness, acknowledgement or honour. For instance, she complimented my shoes.

On the other hand, a complement can either be a noun or a verb. It means something which completes another thing or fills up the lacking. For instance, peanut butter is the perfect complement to jelly when making a sandwich.

In other words, complement indicates one of the two parts that enhance the value of the other when put together. So, you see that compliment is a formal way of showing gratitude or respect to a person.

Alternatively, complement is a thing which completes another or brings near to perfection. When we change complement into an adjective form, it becomes complementary. This reflects that quality and effectiveness of two things when combined.

When/How to Use Complement

Complement is older than compliment as it has been in English since the 1300s. The Latin word which it is derived from means ‘something that completes.’ Thus, when something complements the other, it means that it completes it or enhances it.

For instance, a shirt can complement the colour of your eyes, or the colour of your bag can complement your dress. Similarly, we have complementary angles or complementary colours. Complementary angles are two angles that add up together to form a 90° angle. Thus, they get together to become perfect.

On the other hand, complementary colours are ones which are direct across from each other on the colour wheel. Thus, they enhance each other by their contrast, like red and green, blue and orange, etc.

So, you see that a complement is something which completes something else in some way. Sometimes it can complete it by improving it like ‘a tie that complements the suit’. It can also be something which fills a need like ‘a team with a full complement of players’.

Let us take a look at the correct and incorrect use of complement vs compliment:

Incorrect: Your shoes compliment your shirt really well.

Correct: Your shoes complement your shirt really well.

When/How to Use Compliment

A compliment is a newer word when compared to complement. It came around in the mid-1600s to the English and Spanish language. The ultimate confusion is because of the letter I in it. Nonetheless, the root of this word is Latin only.

You will see that the noun form of compliment refers to an expression of praise, commendation or admiration. Further, when you use it in the verb form, it means to praise or express admiration for somebody.

When you look good, you receive a compliment. When the other person looks good, you give a compliment. You might have often heard people saying compliments to the chef after they enjoy a delicious meal.

On the other hand, anything which is complimentary is free. For instance, you get complimentary sodas on flights by the airlines. A compliment is more commonly used than complement. Thus, you compliment someone on something they have done.

All in all, complement completes while complimenting praises. Let us take a look at the correct and incorrect use of complement vs compliment:

Incorrect: My boss complemented me for doing a great job.

Correct: My boss complimented me for doing a great job.

Examples of Complement – Using Complement in a Sentence

Complement can be a noun as well as a verb. When two things go together well, they complement each other. In other words, it means something that pairs nicely with something else. Let us take a look at some examples of too so that you can understand it better:

• The earrings are the perfect complement to your dress.
• Burger and French fries are the perfect complements.
• Do you think the red roses complement this flower arrangement?
• Red wine is a good complement to this medium-rare steak.
• The velvet carpet is a nice complement to the rest of the furniture in the hall.
• John and his girlfriend complement each other really well. They make a good team.
• The salmon pink paint will complement the silk white curtains.
• Instead of fighting, if we team up, then we will complement each other.
• My art teacher told me that the cool blue colour complements the warm yellow colour pretty well.
• The assorted fruits are complements to our cheese selection.

Examples of Compliment – Using Compliment in a Sentence

A compliment is both a noun and a verb as well. You can use it as a positive comment about someone or something. As a verb, it is used when you pay someone a compliment. Moreover, it is also used in many idioms like a back-handed compliment, fish for a compliment, return a compliment and many more.

• My senior paid me a compliment on my graphic design skills.
• The fact that she likes my art is a major compliment.
• Did Riya just compliment Pooja’s outfit?
• A back-handed compliment like “you’re not like other girls” is very infuriating.
• On the awards night, she felt overjoyed because of all the compliments she received about her blue dress.
• I started crying when my mother complimented my makeup skills as she rarely praises me.
• A good teacher compliments her students whenever they accomplish anything.
• She keeps fishing for compliments on her new hairstyle, but she doesn’t realize it does not look good on her.
• As she told me she liked my purse, I had to return the compliment by telling her I liked her shoes.
• The reason why our boss is so popular amongst employees is that he pays them compliments regarding their work.

All in all, they differ in spelling and meaning. A tip to remember the difference between them is that compliment contains the letter I. So, think of it as that I like compliments, as do most people. So, a compliment means it is for you or someone else.

On the other hand, complement starts with the same starting letters of complete. And it means the same thing as well, so this can help you remember the connection between these terms.