incongruous

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs How to pronounce incongruous (audio)
Definition of incongruousnext
1
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation there's an incongruous modernism to the actor's performance in this period piece

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inconsistent
not being in agreement or harmony incongruous theories about the origins of matter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incongruous There’s something delightfully incongruous about arriving at Rockaway Beach. — Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2026 During the interview, Villa is wearing a ring from her Close Encounters collection, which showcases incongruous animals and plants living side-by-side. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 27 May 2026 This rigid, top-down process can seem incongruous with Esperanto’s democratic principles. — Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026 Many objected to the movie’s inconsistent mythology, weak character development, fundamental changes to the persona of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and an overall lack of coherent world-building across Abrams and Johnson’s two incongruous installments. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for incongruous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incongruous
  1. inappropriate
  2. inconsistent
  3. unsuitable
  4. conflicting
  5. improper
  6. incorrect
  7. wrong
  8. unhappy
Adjective
  • There has been some opposition, including from the Mauthausen Committee, Austria’s main Holocaust survivors’ group, which has argued both that a police station is inappropriate and that more should be done to draw attention to Hitler’s crimes.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • State auditors found in 2018 that $700K in voucher money being spent on cosmetics, clothing, and other inappropriate items.
    — Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies are investigating the suspicious death of a 66-year-old woman after she was taken to a local hospital with injuries that appeared inconsistent with a natural death, the agency announced Friday.
    — Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
  • As a tool, the AQI is inconsistent overall—its forecasts can be slow and imprecise, and its particulars don’t always have a bearing on direct experience.
    — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
Definition of inconsistent
Adjective
  • More than half that land is owned by the district but is unsuitable for farming.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
  • Planting fruit trees in unsuitable spots may not just produce a poor harvest but could spell disaster for the tree.
    — Viveka Neveln, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026
Definition of unsuitable
Adjective
  • This raises the possibility that there could be conflicting decisions from two federal appellate courts.
    — Lucinda M. Finley, The Conversation, 24 July 2026
  • But a series of conflicting messages has left many Americans unsure about what’s actually safe to eat.
    — Allie Canal, NBC news, 24 July 2026
Definition of conflicting
Adjective
  • An improper diagnosis can trail a child through their school years, Fombonne said, but a different, underlying condition the person might have—such as depression and anxiety—might go untreated.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades heard arguments on how improper practices that evaded regulatory oversight turned a small fire into a tragedy as the case neared its conclusion Friday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
Definition of improper
Adjective
  • At the World Cup, there were at least six examples of incorrect or — to be generous — highly dubious interventions that made reasonable on-field decisions worse across the 104 matches.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • In September, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services sent a notice denying her coverage, citing incorrect income information and stating she wasn't disabled, according to Kolosova and state documents reviewed by KFF Health News.
    — Rachana Pradhan, NPR, 20 July 2026
Definition of incorrect
Adjective
  • There is a difference, however, between the default belief that certain predictions are wrong and the default belief that certain predictions are embarrassing.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
  • There’s a right way and a wrong way to use digital assets such as bitcoin for diversification, financial advisors and market analysts said.
    — Greg Iacurci,Annie Nova, CNBC, 25 July 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • Despite the peace and goodwill following the Hundred Year War, Aang is unhappy and lonesome.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Was this about one of you being really unhappy with the streaming culture of people skipping opening credits?
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 23 July 2026
Definition of unhappy

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Cite this Entry

“Incongruous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incongruous. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of incongruous for Spanish Speakers

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