incongruity
Americannoun
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something incongruous
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the state or quality of being incongruous
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Owens understands that this incongruity between Kirk’s ideology and behavior unsettles people.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
“Snake Men,” told with delightful humor and insight, takes readers on a journey through incongruity: amateur scientists, professional pique and the insatiable human drive to name everything, everywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“That incongruity can cause stress in a relationship.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Despite the incongruity, the car's autopilot grabs control and swerves into a ditch.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 31, 2024
As well, ingenuity, a feeling for incongruity, and a sense of economical expression are crucial to both mathematics and humor.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Technical strategists see incongruities like this as a sign that the index’s strength has been predicated, somewhat precariously, on the success of a minority of its stocks, making it more vulnerable to adverse developments.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
And when we point out incongruities or inefficiencies in these policies, we’re told: No, you’re inefficient and lazy.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2025
The incongruities in park guidelines and messaging stretch back to the post-town-hall banning of tripods from the prairie.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
He had a temperament perfectly suited for documenting the incongruities of the city at the turn of the century.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2023
The wise man sees the incongruities involved in the very nature of things.
From The Gentle Reader by Samuel McChord Crothers
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.
