as in paradox
someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another she's an incongruity: an impeccably groomed woman who keeps a messy house

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incongruity Kirby’s incongruity is terrifying, so said someone much wiser than me. Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025 Already concerned about the incongruity of having a comic yukking it up with what was happening with the AP and other outlets, the WHCA scrapped her. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2025 Camp is this aesthetic of ironic juxtaposition, taking something that might be shocking in its incongruity, and then using it to create a cool or humorous effect. Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2025 Crumb’s gawky, eccentric persona was first revealed to the wider public in a 1994 documentary made by his friend Terry Zwigoff, which portrays the cartoonist with all of his incongruities. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for incongruity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incongruity
paradox
Noun
  • Giorgio Armani, the designer whose creations are at the same time classic and revolutionary, represents a paradox in the world of fashion.
    Joseph Giovannini, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Sunstein warns against paradoxes, where well-meaning but rigid rules lead to enforcement paralysis.
    Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Incongruity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incongruity. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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