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Toady vs Compliment - What's the difference?

toady | compliment |

As nouns the difference between toady and compliment

is that toady is a sycophant who flatters others to gain personal advantage while compliment is an expression of praise, congratulation, encouragement, or respect.

As verbs the difference between toady and compliment

is that toady is to behave like a toady (to someone) while compliment is (ambitransitive) to pay a compliment (to); to express a favorable opinion (of).

toady

English

Noun

(toadies)
  • A sycophant who flatters others to gain personal advantage.
  • * 1929, , Penguin Books, paperback edition, page 61
    • But how could she have helped herself? I asked, imagining the sneers and the laughter, the adulation of the toadies , the scepticism of the professional poet.
  • * 1912 , Stratemeyer Syndicate, Baseball Joe on the School Nine Chapter 1
    • "Go on, Hiram, show 'em what you can do," urged Luke Fodick, who was a sort of toady to Hiram Shell, the school bully, if ever there was one.
  • * Charles Dickens
    • Before I had been standing at the window five minutes, they somehow conveyed to me that they were all toadies and humbugs.
  • (archaic) A coarse, rustic woman.
    • (Sir Walter Scott)

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * toadyish

    Verb

  • To behave like a toady (to someone).

    • Anagrams

    *

    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