incongruous
adjective
in·con·gru·ous (ˌ)in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs 
: lacking congruity: such as
a
: not harmonious : incompatible
incongruous colors
b
: not conforming : disagreeing
conduct incongruous with principle
c
: inconsistent within itself
an incongruous story
d
: lacking propriety : unsuitable
incongruous manners
incongruously adverb
incongruousness noun
Did you know?
Incongruous is a spin-off of its antonym, congruous, which means "in agreement, harmony, or correspondence." Etymologists are in agreement about the origin of both words: they trace to the Latin congruus, from the verb congruere, which means "to come together" or "to agree." The dates of these words' first uses in English match up pretty well, too. Both words are first known to have appeared in English in the early 1580s.
Synonyms
- amiss
- graceless
- improper
- inapposite
- inappropriate
- inapt
- incorrect
- indecorous
- inept
- infelicitous
- malapropos
- perverse
- unapt
- unbecoming
- unfit
- unhappy
- unseemly
- unsuitable
- untoward
- wrong
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
There is something incongruous about Oslo. 
Hugh C. McDonald, The Hour of the Blue Fox, 1975 … it would be as incongruous to meet her at the end of a chapter as it would be to see the dawn break in the west … Herman Wouk, Aurora Dawn, 1947 He ate enormously, with a zest which seemed incongruous with his spare frame. Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark, 1915 His outburst seemed incongruous to those who know him well. there's an incongruous modernism to the actor's performance in this period piece
Hugh C. McDonald, The Hour of the Blue Fox, 1975 … it would be as incongruous to meet her at the end of a chapter as it would be to see the dawn break in the west … Herman Wouk, Aurora Dawn, 1947 He ate enormously, with a zest which seemed incongruous with his spare frame. Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark, 1915 His outburst seemed incongruous to those who know him well. there's an incongruous modernism to the actor's performance in this period piece Recent Examples on the Web Every corporate real-estate office, fast-food restaurant, nail salon, and family dry cleaner’s posted a picture of Her Majesty in its shopwindow, her ramrod bearing adding an incongruous glamour to the premises, no matter how modest. Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022 Briney makes James wide-eyed but not naive, smart enough to accept incongruous new parts of the picture without buying every rationalization that’s handed to him. John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sep. 2022 Another trait of Malaparte’s writing, which often alludes to painters (Chagall, Repin, Grosz and Bosch to name but a few), is his vivid way of expressing the strange and incongruous. Tobias Grey, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The campus, slightly incongruous here, would fit seamlessly in Silicon Valley. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 28 July 2022 The experience is overstuffed, a cornucopia of photos from vaguely familiar acquaintances and incongruous sponsored and suggested posts. Wired, 22 July 2022 Other comments and social media posts have criticized the incongruous nature of the new high school′s boundary, which would be completely bisected by Oakland Mills High School’s zone. Ethan Ehrenhaft, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2022 Share on TwitterShare on facebook IN HER HEAD, Veronique saw a giant spider weaving all the incongruous threads of theories about the shooting into an inescapable web. Amanda J. Crawford, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 But over the last two years, the beloved if incongruous entertainment oasis has enjoyed something of a pandemic moment as rodeos have surged in popularity nationwide. New York Times, 16 Aug. 2022 See More
Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022 Briney makes James wide-eyed but not naive, smart enough to accept incongruous new parts of the picture without buying every rationalization that’s handed to him. John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sep. 2022 Another trait of Malaparte’s writing, which often alludes to painters (Chagall, Repin, Grosz and Bosch to name but a few), is his vivid way of expressing the strange and incongruous. Tobias Grey, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The campus, slightly incongruous here, would fit seamlessly in Silicon Valley. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 28 July 2022 The experience is overstuffed, a cornucopia of photos from vaguely familiar acquaintances and incongruous sponsored and suggested posts. Wired, 22 July 2022 Other comments and social media posts have criticized the incongruous nature of the new high school′s boundary, which would be completely bisected by Oakland Mills High School’s zone. Ethan Ehrenhaft, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2022 Share on TwitterShare on facebook IN HER HEAD, Veronique saw a giant spider weaving all the incongruous threads of theories about the shooting into an inescapable web. Amanda J. Crawford, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 But over the last two years, the beloved if incongruous entertainment oasis has enjoyed something of a pandemic moment as rodeos have surged in popularity nationwide. New York Times, 16 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Late Latin incongruus, from Latin in- + congruus congruous
First Known Use
1582, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
incongruous
adjective
in·con·gru·ous in-ˈkäŋ-grə-wəs
: not proper, suitable, or in harmony
incongruous colors
incongruous
adjective
1
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation there's an incongruous modernism to the actor's performance in this period piece Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- inappropriate
- unsuitable
- improper
- incorrect
- wrong
- unhappy
- irrelevant
- unfortunate
- unfit
- unseemly
- indecorous
- perverse
- infelicitous
- inapt
- unbecoming
- unacceptable
- inconsistent
- awkward
- inept
- unapt
- amiss
- bad
- inapposite
- graceless
- untoward
- malapropos
- inapplicable
- out of the way
- extraneous
- naughty
- out of place
- unseasonable
- untimely
- inopportune
- incompatible
- mismatched
- uncongenial
- immaterial
- sinful
- irrelative
- unsatisfactory
- forbidden
- censurable
- ungraceful
- blameworthy
- prohibited
- gauche
- proscribed
- barred
- blamable
- banned
- disallowed
- outlawed
- interdicted
- misbecoming
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- appropriate
- suitable
- correct
- proper
- fitting
- right
- happy
- relevant
- seemly
- felicitous
- relative
- meet
- befitting
- applicable
- decorous
- timely
- fortunate
- becoming
- genteel
- apt
- fit
- harmonious
- opportune
- congenial
- seasonable
- apposite
- pointed
- compatible
- material
- germane
- permitted
- acceptable
- adequate
- satisfactory
- pat
- endorsed
- authorized
- fine
- apropos
- okay
- approved
- decent
- tolerable
- promoted
- respectable
- kosher
- supported
- licensed
- sanctioned
- commendable
- allowed
- congruous
- indorsed
- passable
- exemplary
- harmonious
- creditable
- encouraged
- consonant
- all right
- balanced
- irreproachable
- blameless
- abetted
- companionate
- OK
2
as in inconsistent
not being in agreement or harmony incongruous theories about the origins of matter Synonyms & Similar Words
- inconsistent
- conflicting
- incompatible
- repugnant
- discrepant
- contradictory
- clashing
- inharmonious
- contrary
- inconsonant
- mutually exclusive
- disagreeing
- discordant
- irreconcilable
- at odds
- at variance
- opposite
- antithetical
- antagonistic
- opposing
- diametric
- antipodal
- diametrical
- antipodean
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- consistent
- congruent
- consonant
- harmonious
- similar
- agreeing
- compatible
- congruous
- concordant
- correspondent (with or to)
- conformable (to)
- like
- accordant
- akin
- nonconflicting