inconsistency
Americannoun
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the quality or condition of being inconsistent.
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an inconsistent thing, action, remark, etc.
noun
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lack of consistency or agreement; incompatibility
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an inconsistent feature or quality
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logic
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the property of being inconsistent
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a self-contradictory proposition
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of inconsistency
First recorded in 1640–50; in- 3 + consistency
Explanation
When there's inconsistency, things are not the same. An example of inconsistency in parenting might be when parents give different allowances to kids who are the same age. There's a lot of inconsistency in the world. Some restaurants will serve delicious food most of the time, but not all the time. Teachers in different classes will have different rules for what is expected. Another type of inconsistency is between ideas or propositions. For example, if you want to lose weight but cannot stop eating donuts, there is a major inconsistency between those two ideas. Anywhere you find things that are changing or varying, there is inconsistency.
Vocabulary lists containing inconsistency
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"How Smart Are Animals?" Vocabulary from the science article
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The Last Cuentista
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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.
Inconsistency surfaced: Tottenham finished the season with five defeats from seven games.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2025
Inconsistency and ineffectiveness plagued Pittsburgh and Joe Burrow and the Bengals rallied from an early deficit and pulled away for a 37-30 victory Sunday.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2022
Inconsistency has been the theme of college football across the country this season, and USC has been swept up in that wave as well.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2021
Inconsistency has been rampant in the two games since the break.
From Washington Post • Aug. 18, 2021
Inconsistency cannot exist, in the true empirical sense.
From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Colignatus, 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.
