To complement is to complete something, supplement it, or bring it to perfection. For example, your shoes may complement your dress, you and your spouse may complement each other, or minced garlic may complement a pasta dish. To compliment is to give praise. For example, if I were to say that you have a very nice turtle, this would be a compliment to both you and your turtle.
A corresponding distinction applies to the adjectives complementary and complimentary. Consider which root word is more appropriate.
Examples
These writers use complement well:
Too often I let academics intrude on my process, rather than complement it. [readwritepoem]
The Bit and Spur’s food is a pretty sweet complement to the beer, but it ain’t on the cheap side. [Nile Guide]
Complement also has a little-known and rarely used noun definition—the officers and crew needed to man a ship. This sense of complement is often used metaphorically—for example:
The Raps have a full complement of solid starters and role players . . . [Rufus on Fire]
These writers use compliment correctly:
A couple of scouts have commented on how nice Nava’s swing is, quite a compliment for a kid who was found in the Independent League. [Boston Globe]
“A typical Rutgers-Seton Hall game,” Hill said afterward, meaning it as a compliment. [NorthJersey.com]
