Word of the Day
: February 28, 2026congruous
playWhat It Means
Something described as congruous is in agreement, harmony, or correspondence with something else. Congruous can also describe something that is appropriate for a particular circumstance or requirement, or a thing that is marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among its constituent elements.
// Their professional achievements were congruous with their academic abilities.
// The low bookshelf forms a congruous barrier between the spaces.
// It is a congruous, plausible story, consistent in all its details.
congruous in Context
“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 Sept. 2024
Did You Know?
Congruous had only been part of the English language for a few decades in 1615, when a book about the Church of Rome referred to “teaching most congruous to reason.” The word has remained more or less true to its Latin roots: it comes from Latin congruus, an adjective that comes from the verb congruere, meaning “to come together” or “to agree.” (Its more common antonym, incongruous is about the same age.) Another familiar congruere descendant in English is congruent, which first appeared at least a century earlier with the same meaning as congruous. English also acquired congrue, a verb meaning “to be in harmony” or “to agree,” from congruere, but it has since become obsolete.
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Test Your Vocabulary
Rearrange the letters to form an avian-inspired verb that means “to fit skillfully to form a whole” or “to fit together with”: VLITADEO
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