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
This is the incongruity that fuels Universal Language, Matthew Rankin’s glorious parody-slash-ode to someone else’s shadows-on-a-wall missives — a gesture of decontextualization that layers one country’s extraordinary visual poetry over another’s extreme blandness.
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David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
The natural state of life is that of incongruity; thus, better have your boxes ready.
—Colin Fleming, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2025
Setting aside the delightful incongruity between the coach who once promised to bite off peoples’ kneecaps and his miniature companions, the fourth-down factor is a big part of what makes the Lions Must-See TV.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025
The incongruity of profit maximization was brought to public attention in the UK recently, as the scale of river pollution from water utility companies becomes ever more apparent.
—Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incongruity
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
The natural state of life is that of incongruity; thus, better have your boxes ready.
—Colin Fleming, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2025
Setting aside the delightful incongruity between the coach who once promised to bite off peoples’ kneecaps and his miniature companions, the fourth-down factor is a big part of what makes the Lions Must-See TV.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025
The incongruity of profit maximization was brought to public attention in the UK recently, as the scale of river pollution from water utility companies becomes ever more apparent.
—Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incongruity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incongruity
Noun
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But here's the paradox: pursuing happiness often makes people more unhappy.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Many Alaskans see the prospect as an embarrassing paradox – akin to Hawaii importing pineapples or New Mexico importing green chiles.—
Brett Watson,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incongruity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incongruity. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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