complimentary

adjective

com·​pli·​men·​ta·​ry ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē 

1

a

: expressing praise or admiration : expressing or containing a compliment

a complimentary remark

b

: favorable

the novel received complimentary reviews

2

: given free as a courtesy or favor

complimentary tickets

complimentarily

ˌkäm-plə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rə-lē  -(ˌ)men-ˈter-ə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of complimentary

• favorable
• positive
• good

Examples of complimentary in a Sentence

Furtado is as complimentary about Elliott's manicure … as she is about Elliott's business acumen. —David A. Keeps, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2001

In the bar that evening I at last had the Holiday Inn's complimentary drink, "Tropical Aura." —V. S. Naipaul, Among the Believers, 1981

Wilbur had been feeling dizzier and dizzier through this long, complimentary speech. When he heard the crowd begin to cheer and clap again, he suddenly fainted away. —E. B. White, Charlotte's Web, 1952

She made complimentary remarks about his work.

They handed out complimentary brochures.

The restaurant offers valet parking as a complimentary service.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yes, thanks to spacious two-queen room layouts and complimentary cribs. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026

Goddard said she was amused during last week’s performances to serve audiences a complimentary cup and saucer of Abigail’s tea blend and gauge flavor reactions. — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

While most airlines provide complimentary headphones, the audio quality usually never rivals noise-canceling headphones, and my dad says the volume controls can leave something to be desired. — Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2026

While the service doesn’t offer a free trial of its own, viewers can claim two complimentary months of Peacock with any of DirecTV’s Signature packages, which also offer the aforementioned five-day free trial period — more on this option below. — Camila Quimper, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

compliment entry 1 + -ary entry 2

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing complimentary

• complimentary close

Rhymes for complimentary

• alimentary
• documentary
• parliamentary
• rudimentary
• sedimentary
• supplementary
• testamentary
• integumentary
• uncomplimentary
• unparliamentary
• interparliamentary
• metasedimentary

Kids Definition

complimentary

adjective

com·​pli·​men·​ta·​ry ˌkäm-plə-ˈment-ə-rē 

-ˈmen-trē

1

: expressing or containing a compliment

a complimentary remark

2

: given free as a courtesy or favor

complimentary tickets