Dictionary.com

incongruous

[ in-kong-groo-uhs ]
/ ɪnˈkɒŋ gru əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR incongruous ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

QUIZZES

FOR LEXICAL ALIMENTATION, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Nourish your vocabulary with a refresher on the words from the week of September 14–20, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “blatherskite” mean?
a person given to voluble, empty talk.
an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.
a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of incongruous

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

synonym study for incongruous

3. See inconsistent.

OTHER WORDS FROM incongruous

in·con·gru·ous·ly, adverbin·con·gru·ous·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH incongruous

incongruous , incongruent

Words nearby incongruous

Inconel, in confidence, inconformity, incongruent, incongruity, incongruous, inconnu, in conscience, inconscient, inconsecutive, in consequence
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to incongruous

bizarre, inappropriate, contradictory, incoherent, incompatible, alien, conflicting, discordant, disparate, distorted, divergent, extraneous, fantastic, fitful, foreign, illogical, improper, inapt, inconsistent, irreconcilable

Example sentences from the Web for incongruous

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 forms of incongruous

incongruously 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