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

• amiss
• graceless
• improper
• inapposite
• inappropriate
• inapt
• incorrect
• indecorous
• inept
• infelicitous
• malapropos
• perverse
• unapt
• unbecoming
• unfit
• unhappy
• unseemly
• unsuitable
• untoward
• wrong

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Exuding a weary melancholy, the actor betrays an incongruous longing for the confessional, unflinchingly depicting the elderly Beckett stoically dragging his carcass to the finish line. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024

This can result in often incongruous combinations of songs and messages. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2024

Their sequined garments, incongruous with the outdoor scene, suggest both a resilient dreamscape and an alienation from the landscape that results from constant displacement. —Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 2 Aug. 2024

The term, coined by stylist Allison Bornstein, is used to describe the self-explanatory incongruous styling hack employed by the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Ashley Olsen, and Katie Holmes. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin incongruus, from Latin in- + congruus congruous

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

incongruous

adjective

in·​con·​gru·​ous (ˈ)in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs 

: not harmonious, suitable, or proper

incongruous colors

incongruity

ˌin-kən-ˈgrü-ət-ē

-ˌkän-

noun

incongruously

(ˈ)in-ˈkaŋ-grə-wəs-lē

adverb

incongruousness noun