Meanings
comparative more congenial · superlative most congenial
- Having the same or very similar nature, personality, tastes, habits or interests.
No sluggish tide congenial to the glooms; / This, as it frothed by, might have been a bath / For the fiend's glowing hoof - to see the wrath / Of its black eddy bespate with flakes and spumes.
1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section XIXAntonyms: uncongenial
- Friendly or sociable.
The congenial bartender makes the Hog’s Head an inviting place to hang out during the weekends.
Antonyms: uncongenial
- Suitable to one’s needs.
What was it that made this notion of mimesis, in spite of its inherent difficulties that only the dialectical method enables him to avoid, seem so useful and congenial to Plato?
1961, J. A. Philip, “Mimesis in the Sophistês of Plato”, in Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association 92, pages 453–468Antonyms: uncongenial
- Agreeable to one's disposition.
To the question 'what is a "mechanical" process?' Turing returned the characteristic answer 'Something that can be done by a machine' and he embarked on the highly congenial task of analysing the general notion of a computing machine.
1995, Robin Gandy, “The Confluence of Ideas in 1936”, in The Universal Turing Machine—A Half-Century SurveyAntonyms: uncongenial
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving the same or very similar nature, personality, tastes, habits or interests.
adjectiveFriendly or sociable.
adjectiveSuitable to one’s needs.
adjectiveAgreeable to one's disposition.
More synonyms by meaning
adjective(used of plants) capable of cross-fertilization or of being grafted
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian прия́тен, подходя́щ
- прия́тен (prijáten)friendly
- подходя́щ (podhodjášt)suitable to one’s needs
- благоприя́тен (blagoprijáten)suitable to one’s needs
- бли́зък (blízăk)having the same nature
- схо́ден (shóden)having the same nature
Catalan semblant, congenial
- semblanthaving the same nature
- congenialhaving the same nature
Czech přátelský
- přátelskýfriendly
Dutch vriendelijk, sympathiek
- vriendelijkfriendly
- sympathiekfriendly
- passendsuitable to one’s needs
- geschiktsuitable to one’s needs
- gelijkgezindhaving the same nature
- aanverwanthaving the same nature
Finnish miellyttävä, mukava
- miellyttäväfriendly
- mukavafriendly
- sopivasuitable to one’s needs
- mieluinensuitable to one’s needs
- samanhenkinenhaving the same nature
French sympathique, agréable
- sympathiquefriendly
- agréablesuitable to one’s needs
- semblablehaving the same nature
German freundlich, sympathisch
- freundlichfriendly
- sympathischfriendly
- geselligfriendly
- angenehmfriendly
- passendsuitable to one’s needs
- angebrachtsuitable to one’s needs
- zusagendsuitable to one’s needs
- gleichgesinnthaving the same nature
- wesensgleichhaving the same nature
- wesensverwandthaving the same nature
- geistesverwandthaving the same nature
- vom selben Naturellhaving the same nature
Irish taitneamhach, geanúil
- taitneamhachfriendly
- geanúilfriendly
- oiriúnachsuitable to one’s needs
Italian simpatico, socievole
- simpaticofriendly
- socievolefriendly
Polish arcymiły
- arcymiłyfriendly
Portuguese amigável, simpático
- amigávelfriendly
- simpáticofriendly
- útilsuitable to one’s needs
- compatívelsuitable to one’s needs
- congenialhaving the same nature
- parecidohaving the same nature
Russian дружелю́бный, общи́тельный
- дружелю́бный (druželjúbnyj)friendly
- общи́тельный (obščítelʹnyj)friendly
- прия́тный (prijátnyj)friendly
- подходя́щий (podxodjáščij)suitable to one’s needs
- благоприя́тный (blagoprijátnyj)suitable to one’s needs
- ро́дственный (ródstvennyj)having the same nature
- схо́дный (sxódnyj)having the same nature
- бли́зкий (blízkij)having the same nature
Spanish congenial
- congenialhaving the same nature
Swedish sympatisk, lämplig
- sympatiskfriendly
- lämpligsuitable to one’s needs
- ägnadsuitable to one’s needs
- kongenialhaving the same nature
- besläktadhaving the same nature
Vietnamese dễ gần
- dễ gầnfriendly
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
congenial. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/congenial
“congenial.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/congenial. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “congenial,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/congenial.
Source: congenial on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.