incongruous

[in-kong-groo-uhs]

adjective

1. out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming.

   an incongruous effect; incongruous behavior.

   Synonyms: absurd, ludicrous, ridiculous, unsuitable, discrepant
   Antonyms: appropriate, becoming

2. not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts.

   an incongruous mixture of architectural styles.

   Synonyms: discordant, inharmonious
   Antonyms: consonant

3. inconsistent.

   actions that were incongruous with their professed principles.

   Synonyms: contradictory, contrary
   Antonyms: consistent

incongruous

/ ɪnˈkɒŋɡrʊəs /

adjective

1. incompatible with (what is suitable); inappropriate

2. containing disparate or discordant elements or parts

Other Word Forms

• incongruously adverb
• incongruousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of incongruous¹

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

Synonym Study

See inconsistent.

Example Sentences

The incongruous scene, with veiled women clinking glasses, signals the changes under way and in the conservative kingdom, home to Islam's holiest sites, as deep-seated taboos are gently prodded.

Read more on Barron's

Julie is intended as a fairly good-natured, warmly attractive and decidedly incongruous gunslinger.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They called the place La Ciénega, a corruption of an Indigenous word and an incongruous name — the swamp — in a desert wasteland.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The fact that the president’s approval rating has been on the decline as he’s increasingly become a petulant sandbox bully isn’t actually incongruous.

Read more on Salon

“It was OK, but it was incongruous, getting us nowhere, and in the end we had no money, no nothing.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bizarre 
• contradictory 
• inappropriate 
• incoherent 
• incompatible