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Benefaction vs Compliment - What's the difference?

benefaction | compliment | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between benefaction and compliment

is that benefaction is an act of doing good; a benefit, a blessing while compliment is an expression of praise, congratulation, encouragement, or respect.

As a verb compliment is

to pay a compliment (to); to express a favorable opinion (of).

benefaction

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • An act of doing good; a benefit, a blessing.
  • * 1999 , Joyce Crick, translating Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams , Oxford 2008, p. 70:
    • We all feel that sleep is a benefaction to our psychical life, and the obscure awareness of the popular mind is clearly unwilling to be robbed of its prejudice that the dream is one of the ways in which sleep confers its benefactions.
  • An act of charity; almsgiving.

    • compliment

    English

    (wikipedia compliment)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl), from (etyl) complire, from (etyl) complere

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An expression of praise, congratulation, encouragement, or respect.
  • * Milton
    • Tedious waste of time, to sit and hear / So many hollow compliments and lies.
  • * Cowper
    • many a compliment politely penned
  • (uncountable) Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
  • *
    • This accomplished man condescended to think of a young girl, and take the pains to talk to her, not with absurd compliment , but with an appeal to her understanding, and sometimes with instructive correction.
    • Synonyms
    * See also
    Antonyms
    *insult
    Derived terms
    * backhanded compliment * left-handed compliment * with compliments

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl), from (etyl) complimento'' (etyl) ''cumplimiento'', from ''cumplir'', from ''complire'', from (etyl) ''complere .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (ambitransitive) To pay a compliment (to); to express a favorable opinion (of).
  • * Prior
    • Monarchs should their inward soul disguise; / Should compliment their foes and shun their friends.
    • Antonyms
    *insult