Complimentary means praising or offered at no extra charge. Complementary describes things that complete each other or work well together. The spelling changes one vowel, and the surrounding words tell you which meaning fits.
Recognize the three common uses
- Complimentary as praise. The reviewer was complimentary about the new bakery’s service. The reviewer expressed approval.
- Complimentary as a courtesy. The hotel offered complimentary coffee. Guests could have coffee at no extra charge.
- Complementary as a good match. The designers had complementary skills. One could illustrate the guide, and the other could make its pages easy to navigate.
Use the base word to check
Connect praise to compliment and things that fit together to complement. For the courtesy meaning, try included at no extra charge. See complement vs. compliment for the base words and adjectives for the role these two forms play.
