congruous

adjective

con·​gru·​ous ˈkäŋ-grü-əs 

1

a

: being in agreement, harmony, or correspondence

Their achievements were congruous with their abilities.

b

: conforming to the circumstances or requirements of a situation : appropriate

… a congruous room to work in …

—George Bernard Shaw

2

: marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among constituent elements

a congruous theme

congruously adverb

congruousness noun

Did you know?

Congruous has been used in English since at least 1599, when it appeared in the following description: "All the parts of his bodie were in good proportion, and congruous as a man could wish." It has remained more or less true to its Latin roots: it is derived from Latin congruus, an adjective that comes from the verb "congruere," which means "to come together" or "to agree." Another familiar "congruere" descendant in English is "congruent," which first appeared at least a century earlier with the same meaning as "congruous." We also acquired "congrue," a verb meaning "to be in harmony" or "to agree," from "congruere," but it has since become obsolete.

Synonyms

• balanced
• consonant
• eurythmic
• eurhythmic
• harmonic
• harmonious

Examples of congruous in a Sentence

the congruous layout of the mansion's formal gardens conveys a sense of both grandeur and intimacy

when performing his official duties, the president must be dressed in clothes that are congruous with his high position

Recent Examples on the Web

Hannah is a sustainability consultant and climate impact manager, which is congruous with an outdoor ethos and the culture around bike guiding. —Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

On the pool deck, a minimalist railing acts as a congruous border to this backyard retreat. —Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 24 May 2023

Dripping noses, sneezes, and a stressful mission did not make for congruous relations with Mission Control. —Ben Evans, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2023

Studies show that subjects respond more quickly when the word and the image are congruous—that is, if both are pleasant or unpleasant. —Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover Magazine, 13 May 2012

Women organize into efficient and congruous guilds. —Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 16 June 2022

To speak of the Los Angeles riots, therefore, is to speak of dozens of events involving multiple cities and counties, an overlapping but not always congruous set of memories and perspectives that do not neatly map onto one another. —New York Times, 28 Apr. 2022

And getting quantum computers to outlearn traditional machines means finding AI problems that boil down to mathematical operations congruous with quantum physics. —Quanta Magazine, 4 Feb. 2022

These capabilities may have served those departments well in the moment, but not in a congruous way with other parts of the organization. —Omri Kohl, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Latin congruus, from congruere to come together, agree

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

congruous

adjective

con·​gru·​ous ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs 

1

: being in agreement or harmony

2

: suitable sense 2, appropriate

a congruous place to work

congruously adverb