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 For a lot of people, the most incongruous is probably Midnights — a lot of people were confused by this ‘70s aesthetic, like this smoky, hazy, wood scratched floors and vinyl and patchouli scented air…..and then this huge kind of return to shiny pop. Rebecca Milzoff, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2024 Senior leaders need to be made aware of significant adverse effect on customer perception of companies with sustainability pledges incongruous with policies. Anjali Chaudhry, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024 Craig added further incongruous tones to add further juxtaposition to his sweater, pairing the knitted piece with olive cargo balloon pants, a leather bomber jacket, boots and a pair of yellow-lensed sunglasses. Julia Teti, WWD, 27 Sep. 2024 There was something incongruous about so many guns being so flagrantly wielded in so solemn a place. Daniel Bergner, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for incongruous 

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

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Dictionary Entries Near incongruous

Cite this Entry

“Incongruous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incongruous. Accessed 12 Oct. 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

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