incongruous
Americanadjective
-
out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming.
an incongruous effect; incongruous behavior.
- Synonyms:
- absurd, ludicrous, ridiculous, unsuitable, discrepant
- Antonyms:
- appropriate, becoming
-
not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts.
an incongruous mixture of architectural styles.
- Synonyms:
- discordant, inharmonious
- Antonyms:
- consonant
-
inconsistent.
actions that were incongruous with their professed principles.
- Synonyms:
- contradictory, contrary
- Antonyms:
- consistent
adjective
-
incompatible with (what is suitable); inappropriate
-
containing disparate or discordant elements or parts
Synonym Usage
See inconsistent.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of incongruous
First recorded in 1605–15, incongruous is from the Latin word incongruus “inconsistent.” See in- 3, congruous
Explanation
Something that's incongruous is inconsistent or incompatible with something else. Remember that Sesame Street song "One of these things is not like the other"? They were talking about that one thing being incongruous. If we break it down into its Latin roots, incongruous is formed by adding in, meaning “not," to congruous, which means “suitable, proper.” So, something that is incongruous is "not suitable or proper" — in other words, not in harmony with everything else. That's why burping at the dinner table could be called incongruous behavior: it's not proper and certainly doesn't go well with the main course.
Vocabulary lists containing incongruous
Grade 10, List 2
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Brave New World
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This Week in Words: September 29 - October 5, 2018
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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.
But I don’t think they’re incongruous at all.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
The incongruous editing is akin to zoning out while your buddy is talking, coming-to halfway through their thought and playing along like you understood where it was heading the entire time.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2026
It seems completely incongruous a club the size of Rangers, its life spent under a gigantic microscope, could possibly move quietly into contention, but that's the reality.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
Julie is intended as a fairly good-natured, warmly attractive and decidedly incongruous gunslinger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
It seemed incongruous that so many drafted men would be cheering on the defiant Guthrie, but it was GI humor at its best, a dark way of expressing anger without getting in trouble.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
