incongruity
Americannoun
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something incongruous
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the state or quality of being incongruous
Etymology
Origin of incongruity
From the Late Latin word incongruitās, dating back to 1525–35. See in- 3, congruity
Explanation
Incongruity means out of place — something that doesn't fit in its location or situation. The art show patrons couldn't help but chuckle at the incongruity of a toilet sitting in the middle of an exhibition of Renaissance paintings. An incongruity is very different from everything around it, to the point of being inappropriate to the situation. A cat at a dog's birthday party would be an incongruity, as would a pacifist at a meeting of the War Lovers' Society. Incongruity is the idea that something is incongruous, or inappropriate. A purple towel is an incongruity in an all black-and-white bathroom.
Vocabulary lists containing incongruity
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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This Week in Pop Culture: May 4–10, 2019
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Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I can see that happening. It’s not urgent,” he said, pointing out the incongruity of the ask when “you have more oil than almost anyone else.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025
The incongruity of the lyrics and the peppy melody convey the pain she was experiencing at the height of her career.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2024
Despite the incongruity, the car's autopilot grabs control and swerves into a ditch.
From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2024
So it’s hard to fathom what drew him to “Jesus Christ Superstar,” a musical whose notoriety has been largely premised on the incongruity between its somber subject matter and its disarmingly peppy, down-with-the-kids lingo.
From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024
A dead bird is an incongruity, more startling than an unexpected live bird, sure evidence to the human mind that something has gone wrong.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
