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
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
There’s much that’s dainty and twee, but there’s also much that’s clunky, surprising, incongruous, and spot-on.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024
Meanwhile, the new industrial policy was sending billions in tax credits and grants to big US companies, which was a bit incongruous.
—Andrew Prokop, Vox, 15 Oct. 2024
When Nora’s on a drunken bender in London, for instance, the sound team wove in the sounds of waves and wind, throwing in incongruous and asynchronous sounds to mimic fragments of memory snapping to the surface.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incongruous 
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Charlie Campbell / Yerevan, TIME, 22 Oct. 2024
There’s much that’s dainty and twee, but there’s also much that’s clunky, surprising, incongruous, and spot-on.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024
Meanwhile, the new industrial policy was sending billions in tax credits and grants to big US companies, which was a bit incongruous.
—Andrew Prokop, Vox, 15 Oct. 2024
When Nora’s on a drunken bender in London, for instance, the sound team wove in the sounds of waves and wind, throwing in incongruous and asynchronous sounds to mimic fragments of memory snapping to the surface.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 8 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 8 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
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