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.
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
Comfortable familiarity and an awkward desire to escape co-exist like the two quotes at the start, both true in incongruous harmony.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2025
Ajax may have ended last season as the fifth-best team in Europe’s sixth-best league, with the former England captain an incongruous presence in their midfield, but this match is second versus third and a crowd of 53,000 on a Wednesday evening offers a reminder of the scale of Ajax.
—Michael Walker, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
In the sometimes incongruous and counterintuitive world of NCAA Tournament selection, the Aztecs (15-5, 8-3) have won four straight games … and lost ground in their quest to reach the Big Dance for a fifth straight time and 12th time in the last 15.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
The Italian director Alice Rohrwacher’s films often focus on incongruous moments of enchantment within communities living at the margins of society.
—Jé Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incongruous
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David Opie, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2025
Ajax may have ended last season as the fifth-best team in Europe’s sixth-best league, with the former England captain an incongruous presence in their midfield, but this match is second versus third and a crowd of 53,000 on a Wednesday evening offers a reminder of the scale of Ajax.
—Michael Walker, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
In the sometimes incongruous and counterintuitive world of NCAA Tournament selection, the Aztecs (15-5, 8-3) have won four straight games … and lost ground in their quest to reach the Big Dance for a fifth straight time and 12th time in the last 15.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
The Italian director Alice Rohrwacher’s films often focus on incongruous moments of enchantment within communities living at the margins of society.
—Jé Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incongruous
Cite this Entry
“Incongruous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incongruous. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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
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