congratulated

Congratulated is the past tense and past participle of the verb congratulate. It means to express pleasure or good wishes to someone for an achievement, success, or fortunate circumstance. The action is typically directed at another person or group and can be followed by a reason, such as on a promotion or for winning a prize. For example, “The committee congratulated the winner on her victory.”

As a transitive verb, congratulate takes a direct object—the person being praised—and is often followed by a prepositional phrase indicating the reason, using on or for. It can also appear in the passive voice, as in “She was congratulated by her colleagues.” In everyday usage, it is common in both formal and informal contexts, from personal notes to public statements.

Related forms include congratulate (present tense), congratulating (present participle), and congratulations (the conventional plural noun used to extend well-wishes). The adjective form is congratulatory, used to describe expressions or messages that convey congratulations, such as a congratulatory note or speech. The word is closely associated with social etiquette and celebrations, and is commonly used in professional and ceremonial settings as well as personal communication.

Etymology traces congratulate to Old French congratuler, itself from Latin congratulationem, from con- “together” + gratulatio “a wishing, praise,” with grat- linking to the notion of pleasing or grateful. The term has remained a standard way to acknowledge achievement across English-speaking communities.