As verbs the difference between congratulate and commemorate
is that congratulate is to express one’s sympathetic pleasure or joy to the person(s) it is felt for while commemorate is to honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony.
congratulate
English
Alternative forms
* (l) (archaic)
Verb
(congratulat)
to express one’s sympathetic pleasure or joy to the person(s) it is felt for
Derived terms
* congratulable
* congratulant
* congratulating
* congratulation
* congratulations
* congratulative
* congratulator
* congratulatory
English reporting verbs
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commemorate
English
Verb
To honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony.
* On November 11th we commemorate the fallen with a march.
To serve as a memorial to someone or something.
* The cenotaph commemorates the fallen.
Synonyms
* memorialize