incongruous

adjective

in·​con·​gru·​ous (ˌ)in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs How to pronounce incongruous (audio)
: lacking congruity: such as
a
: not harmonious : incompatible
incongruous colors
b
: not conforming : disagreeing
conduct incongruous with principle
c
: inconsistent within itself
an incongruous story
d
: lacking propriety : unsuitable
incongruous manners
incongruously adverb
incongruousness noun

Did you know?

Incongruous is a spin-off of its antonym, congruous, which means "in agreement, harmony, or correspondence." Etymologists are in agreement about the origin of both words: they trace to the Latin congruus, from the verb congruere, which means "to come together" or "to agree." The dates of these words' first uses in English match up pretty well, too. Both words are first known to have appeared in English in the early 1580s.

Examples of incongruous in a Sentence

There is something incongruous about Oslo. Hugh C. McDonald, The Hour of the Blue Fox, 1975
… it would be as incongruous to meet her at the end of a chapter as it would be to see the dawn break in the west … Herman Wouk, Aurora Dawn, 1947
He ate enormously, with a zest which seemed incongruous with his spare frame. Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark, 1915
His outburst seemed incongruous to those who know him well. there's an incongruous modernism to the actor's performance in this period piece
Recent Examples on the Web On its face, BlackRock’s Voting Choice is incongruous with the firm’s commitment to stakeholder capitalism. Peter Vanham, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024 Suffering is so incongruous with the good order that people prefer. Diane Scharper, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 If the mix seems incongruous, then consider the objective achieved. Scarlett Conlon, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 On the other hand, celebrity endorsements that seem incongruous with the celebrity’s public persona or skill set have faced more scrutiny. Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 While the image looks unobjectionable at first glance, careful viewers soon zoomed in on specific and incongruous background details in the lab that showed telltale errors common to some AI image generators. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2024 But filling an entire commercial with seemingly incongruous ones is like waiting for a ride that’s going in circles. Rob Ledonne, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 Bikinis, beer, Beach Boys music and Big Ben provide an incongruous setting for beach volleyball in the pouring rain smack in the middle of Horse Guards Parade. Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 The tunnel builders even paid some attention to décor: The tiled walls of a small kitchenette in the compound, littered with remnants of food and dirty dishes, were embellished with a quaint, if incongruous, motif of teapots and teacups. Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incongruous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin incongruus, from Latin in- + congruus congruous

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incongruous was in 1582

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near incongruous

Cite this Entry

“Incongruous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incongruous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

incongruous

adjective
in·​con·​gru·​ous (ˈ)in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs How to pronounce incongruous (audio)
: not harmonious, suitable, or proper
incongruous colors
incongruity
ˌin-kən-ˈgrü-ət-ē
-ˌkän-
noun
incongruously
(ˈ)in-ˈkaŋ-grə-wəs-lē
adverb
incongruousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on incongruous

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