Incongruous
adjective
Not fitting or not suitable in character or situation, thus standing out in a strange way.
His loud, cheerful voice seemed incongruous in the quiet, serious room.
Often appears as...
- seem incongruous
- appear incongruous
adjective
Not fitting or not suitable in character or situation, thus standing out in a strange way.
His loud, cheerful voice seemed incongruous in the quiet, serious room.
Often appears as...
- seem incongruous
- appear incongruous
Definition 1 of 1
Pro Tip 1/3Unexpected Fit
Use 'incongruous' to describe something strangely out of place in its surroundings or context.
A palm tree in Alaska would be an incongruous sight.
Pro Tip 2/3Clashing Elements
Describe elements that clash or do not blend well together as 'incongruous'.
The traditional painting looked incongruous on the modern building's wall.
Pro Tip 3/3Nuanced Tone
'Incongruous' often implies a subtle, sometimes humorous contrast, not just direct opposition.
Her punk rock outfit was incongruous at the classical music concert.
Pro Tip 1/3Unexpected Fit
Use 'incongruous' to describe something strangely out of place in its surroundings or context.
A palm tree in Alaska would be an incongruous sight.
Pro Tip 2/3Clashing Elements
Describe elements that clash or do not blend well together as 'incongruous'.
The traditional painting looked incongruous on the modern building's wall.
Pro Tip 3/3Nuanced Tone
'Incongruous' often implies a subtle, sometimes humorous contrast, not just direct opposition.
Her punk rock outfit was incongruous at the classical music concert.
Pro Tip 1/3Unexpected Fit
Use 'incongruous' to describe something strangely out of place in its surroundings or context.
A palm tree in Alaska would be an incongruous sight.
Pro Tip 2/3Clashing Elements
Describe elements that clash or do not blend well together as 'incongruous'.
The traditional painting looked incongruous on the modern building's wall.
Pro Tip 3/3Nuanced Tone
'Incongruous' often implies a subtle, sometimes humorous contrast, not just direct opposition.
Her punk rock outfit was incongruous at the classical music concert.
Compare with
conflictualdiscordantinappropriateincompatibleinconsistentjarsuitableunbecoming
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Video examples
Tribal leadership -...
we're not at the top of the mountain yet there is in fact another stage now some of you may not recognize the scene that's up here and if you take a look at the headline of stage five which is life is great this may seem a little incongruous this is a scene or a snippet from the truth and reconciliation
Video examples
David Logan: Tribal...
But you'll notice we're not at the top of the mountain yet. There is, in fact, another stage. Now, some of you may not recognize the scene that's up here. And if you take a look at the headline of Stage Five, which is "Life is Great," this may seem a little incongruous. This is a scene or snippet
Video examples
Safari Live - Day 246 PIPE...
I always think it's situations like this that a male leopard weeny leopard actually it's just so I don't know there's something incongruous about them
Video examples
Tribal leadership -...
we're not at the top of the mountain yet there is in fact another stage now some of you may not recognize the scene that's up here and if you take a look at the headline of stage five which is life is great this may seem a little incongruous this is a scene or a snippet from the truth and reconciliation
Video examples
David Logan: Tribal...
But you'll notice we're not at the top of the mountain yet. There is, in fact, another stage. Now, some of you may not recognize the scene that's up here. And if you take a look at the headline of Stage Five, which is "Life is Great," this may seem a little incongruous. This is a scene or snippet
Video examples
Safari Live - Day 246 PIPE...
I always think it's situations like this that a male leopard weeny leopard actually it's just so I don't know there's something incongruous about them
Example 1 of 3
Quote examples
Maria Konnikova
American Writer
Incongruous information is discarded, and supporting information is eagerly retained. Our memory actually ends up skewed: we are better able to process and recall the facts that we are motivated to process and recall, while conveniently forgetting those that we would prefer weren't true.
Quote examples
Roger Stone
American Politician
Money is speech. It's incongruous to say a multimillionaire can spend as much on his own campaign as he wants, but you can only give $2,300. His free speech rights are different from yours, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. It's absurd.
Quote examples
Alfred North Whitehead
English Mathematician
I have suffered a great deal from writers who have quoted this or that sentence of mine either out of its context or in juxtaposition to some incongruous matter which quite distorted my meaning, or destroyed it altogether.
Quote examples
Jerome Bruner
American Psychologist
In the perception of the incongruous stimuli, the recognition process is temporarily thwarted and exhibits characteristics which are generally not observable in the recognition of more conventional stimuli.
Quote examples
James Payn
English Novelist
A great philosopher has stated that the worst evil of poverty is, that it makes folks ridiculous; by which, I hope, he only means that, as in the above case, it places them in incongruous positions.
Quote examples
Yehudi Menuhin
American Musician
Music creates order out of chaos: for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous.
Quote examples
Henry Grunwald
Austrian Editor
A beach is not only a sweep of sand, but shells of sea creatures, the sea glass, the seaweed, the incongruous objects washed up by the ocean.
Quote examples
George Eliot
British Author
But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even current philosophy.
Quote examples
Joyce Maynard
American Writer
I had known there had been a serial killer on Mount Tamalpais, and it felt so incongruous in such a beautiful, peaceful spot.
Quote examples
Susan Sontag
American Author
The taste for quotations (and for the juxtaposition of incongruous quotations) is a Surrealist taste.
Quote examples
Maria Konnikova
American Writer
Incongruous information is discarded, and supporting information is eagerly retained. Our memory actually ends up skewed: we are better able to process and recall the facts that we are motivated to process and recall, while conveniently forgetting those that we would prefer weren't true.
Quote examples
Roger Stone
American Politician
Money is speech. It's incongruous to say a multimillionaire can spend as much on his own campaign as he wants, but you can only give $2,300. His free speech rights are different from yours, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. It's absurd.
Quote examples
Alfred North Whitehead
English Mathematician
I have suffered a great deal from writers who have quoted this or that sentence of mine either out of its context or in juxtaposition to some incongruous matter which quite distorted my meaning, or destroyed it altogether.
Quote examples
Jerome Bruner
American Psychologist
In the perception of the incongruous stimuli, the recognition process is temporarily thwarted and exhibits characteristics which are generally not observable in the recognition of more conventional stimuli.
Quote examples
James Payn
English Novelist
A great philosopher has stated that the worst evil of poverty is, that it makes folks ridiculous; by which, I hope, he only means that, as in the above case, it places them in incongruous positions.
Quote examples
Yehudi Menuhin
American Musician
Music creates order out of chaos: for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous.
Quote examples
Henry Grunwald
Austrian Editor
A beach is not only a sweep of sand, but shells of sea creatures, the sea glass, the seaweed, the incongruous objects washed up by the ocean.
Quote examples
George Eliot
British Author
But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even current philosophy.
Quote examples
Joyce Maynard
American Writer
I had known there had been a serial killer on Mount Tamalpais, and it felt so incongruous in such a beautiful, peaceful spot.
Quote examples
Susan Sontag
American Author
The taste for quotations (and for the juxtaposition of incongruous quotations) is a Surrealist taste.
Example 1 of 10
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