complimentary meaning

complimentary means 'given for free or as a gift, or expressing praise'.

complimentary :

free, given as a gift

adjective

▪ The hotel offers complimentary breakfast.

▪ The hotel gives free breakfast.

▪ Guests receive complimentary drinks.

▪ Guests get free drinks.

paraphrasing

▪ free – no cost

▪ gratis – free of charge

complimentary

Pronunciation

complimentary [ˌkɒmplɪˈmentəri]

The stress is on 'men' and sounds like 'kom-pli-men-tuh-ree'.

Common phrases and grammar about complimentary

complimentary - Common meaning

adjective
free, given as a gift

Part of Speech Changes for "complimentary"

▪ compliment (noun) – a nice thing to say

▪ compliment (verb) – to say something nice

▪ complimentary (adjective) – free or nice

Common Expressions with "complimentary"

▪ complimentary ticket – free ticket

▪ complimentary service – free service

▪ complimentary copy – free copy

▪ complimentary meal – free meal

Important examples of complimentary in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, complimentary is often used to describe free services or items.

▪The hotel provides complimentary Wi-Fi.
▪The hotel gives free Wi-Fi.

Example of a confusing word: complementary (serving to complete)

▪The hotel provides complementary Wi-Fi.
▪The hotel offers Wi-Fi that completes your stay.
"Complimentary" means "free of charge," often used to describe services or items provided at no cost, such as "complimentary Wi-Fi." In contrast, "complementary" means "serving to complete or enhance," and is used in contexts where one thing enhances or completes another. Saying "complementary Wi-Fi" suggests the Wi-Fi is enhancing something else, which is not the intended meaning here. Therefore, "complimentary" is the correct choice for indicating that the Wi-Fi is free.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

As an adjective, complimentary often describes items or services provided without charge in TOEIC questions.

▪The airline offers complimentary snacks.
▪The airline gives free snacks.

complimentary

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

complimentary breakfast

'free breakfast', used in hospitality contexts.

▪Enjoy a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.
▪Enjoy a free breakfast at the hotel.

complimentary remarks

means 'praising words', used to describe positive comments.

▪She made complimentary remarks about his work.
▪She said nice things about his work.

Differences between similar words and complimentary

complimentary

,

free

differences

Complimentary often implies a gift or extra service, while free simply means no cost.

complimentary
▪We received complimentary tickets to the show.
▪We got free tickets to the show as a gift.
free
▪The event is free for all attendees.
▪The event costs nothing for all attendees.
complimentary

Words with the same origin as complimentary

The origin of complimentary

The word 'complimentary' comes from 'compliment', which originally meant a polite expression of praise or admiration.

Word structure

It is composed of the root 'compliment' (to praise) and the suffix 'ary' (related to), meaning related to praise or free gifts.

Words with the same origin

The root of complimentary is compliment. Words with the same root include compliment (noun), complement (to complete).

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