incongruous
adjective
in·con·gru·ous
(ˌ)in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs 
: lacking congruity: such as
a
: not harmonious : incompatible
incongruous colors
b
: not conforming : disagreeing
conduct incongruous with principle
c
: inconsistent within itself
an incongruous story
d
: lacking propriety : unsuitable
incongruous manners
incongruously
adverb
incongruousness
noun
Did you know?
Incongruous is a spin-off of its antonym, congruous, which means "in agreement, harmony, or correspondence." Etymologists are in agreement about the origin of both words: they trace to the Latin congruus, from the verb congruere, which means "to come together" or "to agree." The dates of these words' first uses in English match up pretty well, too. Both words are first known to have appeared in English in the early 1580s.
Synonyms
Examples of incongruous in a Sentence
There is something incongruous about Oslo.
—
Hugh C. McDonald, The Hour of the Blue Fox, 1975
… it would be as incongruous to meet her at the end of a chapter as it would be to see the dawn break in the west …
—Herman Wouk, Aurora Dawn, 1947
He ate enormously, with a zest which seemed incongruous with his spare frame.
—Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark, 1915
His outburst seemed incongruous to those who know him well.
there's an incongruous modernism to the actor's performance in this period piece
Hugh C. McDonald, The Hour of the Blue Fox, 1975
… it would be as incongruous to meet her at the end of a chapter as it would be to see the dawn break in the west …
—Herman Wouk, Aurora Dawn, 1947
He ate enormously, with a zest which seemed incongruous with his spare frame.
—Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark, 1915
His outburst seemed incongruous to those who know him well.
there's an incongruous modernism to the actor's performance in this period piece
Recent Examples on the Web
But the deep plunge of her gown’s neckline and the provenance of the Renaissance-style cross has divided opinion online, with some arguing the risqué cut feels incongruous with the religious symbol.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024
Of all the many cultural products that the United Kingdom has exported to the United States—Aston Martins, Doc Martens, Burberry coats, Cadbury chocolates, a lingering and historically incongruous fascination with the Royal Family—my favorite by far are first-rate fantasy novels for children.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Cogan, Wells, and Vaughan do an effective job of capturing how cozy and provincial Pip’s hometown of Little Kilton is — a place where a murder seems as incongruous as the idea of Pip herself investigating it.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2024
Yet if Derulo’s grandstanding was somewhat incongruous with the thorny tech debates that followed, few could begrudge Armenia for relishing its moment in the spotlight.
—Charlie Campbell / Yerevan, TIME, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incongruous 
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.
Leah Dolan, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024
Of all the many cultural products that the United Kingdom has exported to the United States—Aston Martins, Doc Martens, Burberry coats, Cadbury chocolates, a lingering and historically incongruous fascination with the Royal Family—my favorite by far are first-rate fantasy novels for children.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Cogan, Wells, and Vaughan do an effective job of capturing how cozy and provincial Pip’s hometown of Little Kilton is — a place where a murder seems as incongruous as the idea of Pip herself investigating it.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2024
Yet if Derulo’s grandstanding was somewhat incongruous with the thorny tech debates that followed, few could begrudge Armenia for relishing its moment in the spotlight.
—Charlie Campbell / Yerevan, TIME, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incongruous
Dictionary Entries Near incongruous
Cite this Entry
“Incongruous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incongruous. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incongruous
adjective
in·con·gru·ous
(ˈ)in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs
: not harmonious, suitable, or proper
incongruous colors
incongruity
noun
ˌin-kən-ˈgrü-ət-ē
-ˌkän-
incongruously
adverb
(ˈ)in-ˈkaŋ-grə-wəs-lē
incongruousness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share