incongruous

[ in-kong-groo-uhs ]

/ ɪnˈkɒŋ gru əs /

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adjective

out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming: an incongruous effect; incongruous behavior.

not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts: an incongruous mixture of architectural styles.

inconsistent: actions that were incongruous with their professed principles.

Nearby words

Origin of incongruous

First recorded in 1605–15, incongruous is from the Latin word incongruus inconsistent. See in-³, congruous

SYNONYMS FOR incongruous

1. discrepant, unsuitable, ridiculous, ludicrous, absurd. 2. inharmonious, discordant. 3. contrary, contradictory. See inconsistent.

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ANTONYMS FOR incongruous

1. becoming, appropriate. 2. consonant. 3. consistent.

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Related formsin·con·gru·ous·ly, adverbin·con·gru·ous·ness, noun

Can be confusedcongruous congruent incongruous incongruent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incongruous

Even those who were not already republicans wanted the royals to be more aware of how incongruous their profligacy seemed.
Imagining Prince Charles as King Makes All of Britain Wish They Could Leave Like Scotland|Clive Irving|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is impossible to overstate just how isolated and incongruous Lady Thatcher was when she entered Parliament in 1959.
Margaret Thatcher: The Accidental Feminist|Amanda Foreman|April 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He does not take umbrage at the incongruous presence of the housekeeper in a presidential suite that is still occupied.
Five Things You Didn’t Know About DSK From John Solomon’s New Book|John Solomon|June 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“I was 11 years old,” he says, in his gravelly voice that carries an incongruous hint of Brooklyn (Gosling is Canadian).
Ryan Gosling: On Blue Valentine and Michelle Williams|Nicole LaPorte|December 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Berliners for the most part simply lived with it, incongruous and sinister as it was.
Scaling the Berlin Wall|Michael R. Meyer|October 31, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The sunburnt face, puckered with a wry wistfulness, was only comic in its incongruous coat of grease.
No Hero|E.W. Hornung
She took no heed of her flimsy, incongruous dress, her fatigue, her need of sleep.
The False Chevalier|William Douw Lighthall
If he were asked to read prayers in French the idea would seem to him incongruous, a mingling of frivolous with sacred things.
Human Intercourse|Philip Gilbert Hamerton
Not far away was the wrecked plane, an incongruous mass of streaks where the fabric had ripped through the gas-paint.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930|Various
I will complete this sketch of an incurable cannibal grandee with two incongruous traits.
In the South Seas|Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for incongruous

incongruous

incongruent

/ (ɪnˈkɒŋɡrʊəs) /

adjective

(when postpositive, foll by with or to) incompatible with (what is suitable); inappropriate

containing disparate or discordant elements or parts

Derived Formsincongruously or incongruently, adverbincongruousness or incongruence, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for incongruous

incongruous

adj.

1610s, from Latin incongruus "incongruous," from in- "not, opposite of, without" (see in- (1)) + congruus "fit, suitable" (see congruent). Related: Incongruously.

incongruous

adjective

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Origin of incongruous

Examples from the Web for incongruous

incongruous

incongruent

adjective

incongruous