Definition of CONGRUOUS

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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.

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

This complicated arrangement placed Panthers officials and Richardson in positions that may not have been entirely congruous. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Fallout from Latest Allegations Against Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson," 26 Apr. 2018 Second, the primary transfer window doesn’t align with many other countries’ allotted times for transactions, while the summer window is more congruous with those international schedules. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "United climbs from basement of rankings, called “surprise” club," 9 May 2017 The principle of organic architecture is simple, commanding its followers to sympathetic and congruous relations between the structure and the environment in which it is built. — Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, "The Unrealized Visions of Frank Lloyd Wright," 22 June 2017 Of all the various cabinet hopefuls and assorted hangers-on who have come to Trump Tower to get an audience with President-elect Donald J. Trump, perhaps the least congruous might be the visitor who dropped by late Wednesday morning: Bill de Blasio. — J. David Goodman, New York Times, "‘The Ball’s in His Court,’ Mayor de Blasio Says After Meeting With Trump," 16 Nov. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'congruous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.