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

Relevance

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
  • However, backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor's inconsistent play, marked by a costly interception, raised concerns.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Similar reports have emerged in Germany and Switzerland, where local media reported that secondhand booksellers received unusual bulk orders for highly specialized books that appeared inconsistent with traditional collecting or resale.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 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
  • Spokespeople for two major timber companies also offered conflicting views to The Sacramento Bee.
    — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
  • The Pentagon made a deal with Scouting America in February but the two sides have given conflicting accounts of that agreement.
    — Jamie Stengle, Fortune, 31 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
  • Seneca, the Roman philosopher, argued that people kept getting the message of Homer’s epic poems wrong.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • One person was killed and two others were critically injured when a wrong-way driver crashed into several other vehicles on Friday evening on the Dan Ryan Expressway on the South Side of Chicago.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • Even Republicans appear to be increasingly unhappy with the prolonged conflict.
    — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 29 July 2026
  • But Buckingham Palace staff are reportedly unhappy again about the idea of accommodating the duke.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
Definition of unhappy

Browse Nearby Words

incongruity
incongruous
incongruously
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Incongruous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incongruous. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on incongruous

Nglish: Translation of incongruous for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All