When someone you know has achieved something, the first thing you do is extend praise. But is the phrase “big congratulations” an effective way to do this?
In this article, we’re going to look at the correctness of the phrase and offer up some potential synonyms as well.
Is It Correct to Say “Big Congratulations”?
It is perfectly correct English to offer someone a “big congratulations” when they’ve done or achieved something commendable. However, “a big congratulations” is a fragmented phrase, so you can only use it as part of a sentence, and not as a sentence itself: “A big congratulations to the happy couple”.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- “Big congratulations” is grammatically correct and an appropriate way to extend praise to someone for their achievements.
- Other ways to say “big congratulations” are “massive props”, “huge kudos”, and “great felicitations”.
- You can also replace the word “big” with “massive”, “huge”, or “many” to create the same effect.
The word “congratulations” is often used as an interjection, specifically an expression of praise. The word “big” is simply an adjective that modifies this noun. So, we aren’t just offering congratulations, but a big congratulations for a big achievement:
- A big congratulations to Doctor Bonnet for his well-deserved Nobel prize.
- We’d like to offer big congratulations to the entire team for their efforts.
You might be wondering whether it’s grammatically correct to place an “a” before a plural noun like “congratulations”.
Typically, no. However, “congratulations” is an abstract, uncountable noun since it is an intangible concept, rather than a concrete noun that you can touch, like a desk.
You’ll find that, in English, it’s perfectly suitable to use the article “a” before an abstract plural noun if it is preceded by an adjective, i.e., “a few emotions” or “a grand welcome”
So, you now know that it is indeed grammatically correct to use the phrase “big congratulations”. However, if you’re still feeling uncertain about this phrase, we’ve come up with a list of what to say instead of “big congratulations”.
Other Ways to Say “Big Congratulations”
Other ways to say “big congratulations” are “massive props”, “huge kudos”, and the very fancy “great felicitations”. These alternatives offer synonyms for both the “big” part of the phrase and the “congratulations” part. A double whammy, so to speak! They also have different uses, from informal parties to formal events.
1. Massive Props
If you’re looking for another way to say “big congratulations”, “massive props” is a great alternative. It is a more informal variant that can be used in casual speech.
The slang word “props” developed in the 1990s as a shortening of the word “proper”. It is now defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as meaning “respect for someone”.
You can use this phrase in a similar way to “big congratulations”. Just look at these example sentences, if you don’t believe us:
- Massive props to Doctor Bonnet for pushing the boundaries the way he did.
- I just want to give massive props to the whole team. Who knows where we’d be without all their hard work?
2. Huge Kudos
You might think that “kudos” is another informal variant of “congratulations”, but it was actually developed in universities and other academic institutions from the Greek word “kydos”, meaning “renown” or “praise”.
This singular noun is now defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “the public admiration that a person receives as a result of a particular achievement or position in society”.
With this definition in mind, you can understand why “huge kudos” is essentially a perfect synonym for “big congratulations”.
Nonetheless, let’s look at a few example sentences to see this phrase in action:
- Huge kudos to the painter for finding a way to both terrify and captivate us with his art.
- The editing you’re doing on this is immaculate – huge kudos!
3. Great Felicitations
If you want to sound especially fancy in front of your friends, you can use the phrase “great felicitations”.
The word “felicitations” is derived from the word felix, meaning “happy” in Latin, and the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “an expression used to wish someone happiness, or to praise or show approval”.
So, “felicitations” is a clear synonym for “congratulations” and “great” is a synonym for “big”. If you still can’t see where we’re going with this, have a look at these example sentences:
- I’d like to offer great felicitations to you and your family for putting together this wonderful event.
- Fans of the duo extended great felicitations when news broke of their new album.
4. Massive Congratulations
If you’re considering how to say “big congratulations” but don’t think the word “big” quite sells the magnitude of the achievement, try “massive congratulations instead”.
After all, “massive” essentially means “very big”. So, if you think someone is owed praise that’s even bigger than big, this phrase should suffice.
Let’s look at a few examples of this phrase in action:
- I’d like to offer massive congratulations to every one of you for your hard work.
- Let’s extend a massive congratulations to the parents of these fantastic children!
5. Huge Congratulations
“Huge” is another synonym of “big”, and usually refers to something extremely large indeed. Therefore, another possible way to express that your congratulations are bigger than big is to use the word “huge” instead.
Let’s see a couple of example sentences for this phrase:
- I want to give a huge congratulations to all our nominees.
- Huge congratulations on your wedding! You are absolutely glowing!
6. Many Congratulations
Technically, “many” is not an exact synonym for “big”. However, you might prefer to make use of the word many in combination with the pluralized noun “congratulations”.
Despite English conventions, it makes more sense to offer many “congratulations” rather than one big “congratulations”.
So, let’s have a look at how we might use this phrase in a few example sentences:
- Many congratulations for breaking the top 100 yet again!
- He is busy receiving many congratulations from his colleagues and superiors.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.