In a day to day context, congruence means what a person display outwardly—words, actions, body language, etc.—matches what is on the inside—thoughts, feelings, body sensations, etc. When what is on the outside does not correspond with what is on the inside, one is incongruent.

Congruency, or agreement, occurs when a word’s meaning and font color are the same. For example, if the word “green” is printed in green. Incongruent stimuli are just the opposite. That is the word’s meaning and the color in which it is written do not align. For example, the word “green” might be printed in red ink.

Simply put, in a psychological context, congruence means that what you show on the outside—words, actions, body language, etc.—matches what is on the inside—thoughts, feelings, body sensations, etc. If what is on the outside does not reflect what is on the inside one could be said to be out of congruence, or incongruent.