To gratify the good Andronicus, / And gratulate his safe return to Rome, / The people will accept whom he admits.
Source: wiktionary
Gratulate
/ˈɡɹætjʊleɪt/
Synonyms for "gratulate" (3 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: bless, compliment, pat on the back.
- Sentence evidence is available for gratulate, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "gratulate".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "gratulate"
Keep "gratulate" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "gratulate" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "gratulate", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "gratulate" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Sample sentences
7 total sentences available.
[H]is friends and neareſt companions, / Did gratulate his ſafetie with kinde words, […]
Source: wiktionary
Queen Elizabeth. […] Whither away? / Lady Anne. No farther than the Tower; and, as I guess, / Upon the like devotion as yourselves, / To gratulate the gentle princes there.
Source: wiktionary
“Regard not that, my brother,” answered Magdalen Græme; “the first successors of Saint Peter himself, were elected not in sunshine but in tempests—not in the halls of the Vatican, but in the subterranean vaults and dungeons of Heathen Rome—they were not gratulated with shouts and salvos of cannon-shot and of musquetry, and the display of artificial fire—no, my brother—but by the hoarse summons of Lictors and Prætors, who came to drag the Fathers of the Church to martyrdom.[…]”
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 7 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "gratulate"?
Closest matches include bless, compliment, pat on the back.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "gratulate"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.