Incongruous

/ɪnˈkɒn.ɡɹʊu.ʌs/ · adjective

Meaning

Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in..

Definitions by Sense

1. Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in.
2. (mathematics) Of two numbers, with respect to a third, such that their difference can not be divided by it without a remainder.

Example Sentences

[P]erhaps he thought me, with my basket of summer fruit, and my lack of the dignity age confers, an incongruous figure in such a scene.

Ona was blue-eyed and fair, while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears—in short, they were one of those incongruous and impossible married couples with which Mother Nature so often wills to confound all prophets.

Ardent suns had likewise tanned his face till it was swarthy as a Spaniard's. The yellow mustache appeared incongruous in the midst of such swarthiness.

A slightly incongruous note is struck by the National Westminster Bank beside the Vine [pub], a tiny dolls' house of a building, about the size of a garden shed, in herringbone-patterned brick.

For a few moments England toyed with the idea of making it a more difficult night than necessary. Scotland had scored a goal that seemed incongruous to the rest of their performance and, briefly, a fiercely partisan crowd sensed an improbable comeback.

20 and 25 are incongruous with respect to 4.

Synonyms for incongruous

Antonyms for incongruous

Related Words

Word Forms

• more incongruous
• most incongruous

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions