incongruously

adverb

as in inappropriately

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 incongruously Fightland feels incongruously sanitized throughout, without actually being appropriate (or engaging) for all ages. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 Along beaches that had been stripped of their vegetation, icebergs sat incongruously high on rocks. — Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026 One side story, of a former pro athlete caught in a downward spiral of violence, addiction, and ill health, feels incongruously grim. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Mar. 2026 What remains is an incongruously passive and intense ride that feels eerily algorithmic throughout. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026 Every surreal interaction, every drab office, every incongruously adoring wife is another turn through the same loop. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025 Also incongruously quick for his size is Tustin junior defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams (6-1, 311). — Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025 Where to Stay Recently opened and incongruously-located inside the city's half-glitzy, half-tacky Phoenix MarketCity shopping mall, Design Hotel by jüSTa is a quirky option from the creative team at Urban Studio in Mumbai. — David Jefferys, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incongruously
  1. inappropriately
  2. improperly
  3. wrongly
  4. incorrectly
  5. unsuitably
Adverb
  • Axios first reported allegations in May about Edwards allegedly having behaved inappropriately toward his young female staff.
    — Jeff Ballou, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Police in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, released surveillance video of a suspect accused of inappropriately touching a 12-year-old girl inside a Dollar Tree store Monday afternoon.
    — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of inappropriately
Adverb
  • Callaway was charged with violating his oath of office, improperly requesting or sharing criminal history information, unlawfully retaining license plate data and three counts of stalking.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Georgia has seen dozens of cases of law enforcement agents improperly using data from Flock cameras, leading to resignations, suspensions and even arrests.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of improperly
Adverb
  • Many of the resulting news stories, in Ruff’s view, wrongly credited the metal lumps with oxygenating the atmosphere or helping give rise to life.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Lexie Hudson, Gilman's sister, commented on his release in a press release sent by Global Reach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing home Americans who are wrongly held abroad.
    — Mariam Khan, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrongly
Adverb
  • The lawsuit argued that the new rules incorrectly preempt states’ powers to regulate how the interest generated by mortgage escrow accounts is handled.
    — P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Wangsaporn incorrectly told Kim that Rhiannon Do no longer worked for Warner Wellness, the auditor said.
    — Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of incorrectly
Adverb
  • The official investigation found no fault with either aircraft but that three planes had occupied the same airspace, which was deemed to have been unsuitably monitored over the Kharkiv region.
    — Colin Millar, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of unsuitably

Browse Nearby Words

incongruous
incongruously
incongruousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incongruously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incongruously. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on incongruously

Nglish: Translation of incongruously 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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All