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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Recent Examples of incongruity
Bloomberg cited mortgage experts who said there were no signs of wrongdoing from Bessent based on the conflicting agreements, arguing that incongruity in mortgage filings doesn’t always provide proof of fraud.
—
Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
Likewise, the airy comedy (boosted by Thomas Newman’s sprightly if familiar-sounding score) insists on the seeming incongruity between the film’s lovely setting and its darker subject matter.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
In contemplating the religious system of the Aztecs, one is struck with its apparent incongruity, as if some portion of it had emanated from a comparatively refined people, open to gentle influences, while the rest breathes a spirit of unmitigated ferocity.
—Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2025
The rates in these communities may not be consistently higher than the surrounding rural areas, but the incongruity of suicide in a vacation paradise can be jarring.
—Kate Siber, Outside Online, 4 Sep. 2018
See All Example Sentences for incongruity
Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
Likewise, the airy comedy (boosted by Thomas Newman’s sprightly if familiar-sounding score) insists on the seeming incongruity between the film’s lovely setting and its darker subject matter.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
In contemplating the religious system of the Aztecs, one is struck with its apparent incongruity, as if some portion of it had emanated from a comparatively refined people, open to gentle influences, while the rest breathes a spirit of unmitigated ferocity.
—Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2025
The rates in these communities may not be consistently higher than the surrounding rural areas, but the incongruity of suicide in a vacation paradise can be jarring.
—Kate Siber, Outside Online, 4 Sep. 2018
See All Example Sentences for incongruity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incongruity
paradox
Noun
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Murree Brewery has operated within this paradox for decades.—
Betsy Joles,
NPR,
31 Jan. 2026
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The paradox of Gen Z’s willingness to use AI at the office, even amid persistent worries about the technology’s impact on critical thinking, lays bare the young generation’s complicated feelings toward AI, according to the report’s authors.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incongruity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incongruity. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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