congenial
Americanadjective
-
agreeable, suitable, or pleasing in nature or character.
congenial surroundings.
- Synonyms:
- united, sympathetic, kindred, harmonious, complaisant, pleasing, pleasant, favorable, enjoyable, agreeable
- Antonyms:
- disagreeable
-
suited or adapted in spirit, feeling, temper, etc.; compatible.
a congenial couple.
adjective
-
friendly, pleasant, or agreeable
a congenial atmosphere to work in
-
having a similar disposition, tastes, etc; compatible; sympathetic
Usage
What does congenial mean? Congenial means friendly, pleasant, or agreeable. Someone who’s congenial is easy to get along with. It’s especially used to describe people and their personalities, but it can also describe atmospheres marked by friendliness, as in a congenial workplace. The noun congeniality refers to the quality of being congenial. Less commonly, congenial can mean well suited or well matched, as in It’s a very congenial friendship—they share several interests. The word compatible is a close synonym of this sense of congenial. Example: You won’t find a more congenial person than Jess—she has a kind word for everyone she meets.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of congenial
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin con- con- + geni(us) genius + -al 1
Explanation
A congenial person is easy to get along with. If you're trying to decide which of your friends to take on a road trip, choose the most congenial one. Congenial means sharing the same temperament, or agreeing with your temperament. You can talk about a congenial person, place, or environment. Maybe you enjoy the congenial atmosphere of the library. Or perhaps for you the disco is more congenial. As you might expect for such a vaguely approving word, there are many synonyms: agreeable, pleasant, delectable, delightful, enjoyable, and so on.
Vocabulary lists containing congenial
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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Grade 10, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Congenial working conditions seem to breed longevity: Cascade Designs boasts 28 assembly line workers, known as “production specialists,” who have worked there more than 25 years.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2022
Congenial toward all, Allen was regarded by some as deft in shifting accountability when things went wrong — the unseen hand that left no fingerprints.
From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2017
And though Musgraves talks in the title track about not being Miss Congenial, the album’s rather prim arrangements hardly suggest an outlaw hellbent on upsetting the apple cart.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2015
Congenial companions in civilization, they thought it a good idea when a friend lent them an isolated island for the summer.
From Time Magazine Archive
Congenial tasks and association with the brilliant journalists of the day did not prevent Bierce from being undeniably hard up at times.
From The Letters of Ambrose Bierce With a Memoir by George Sterling by Bierce, Ambrose
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
