Synonyms for incongruous
- adjective
All synonyms
Adjective
absurd, inconsistent, inappropriate, incompatible, incongruent, contradictory, ridiculous, discordant, unfitting, discrepant formal, funny, disparate, different, dissonant, incoherent, repugnant, mismatched, irreconcilable, contrary, conflicting, improper, equivocal, unsuitable, assorted, incommensurable, alien, queer, priceless, unfit, inharmonious, unconformable, uncongruous, ludicrous, dissimilar, laughable, unsuited, heterogeneous, incongruitous rare, discongruous rare
Definitions
- adj. 1
Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in.
Related words
- Word family
- incongruousness incongruence incongruent incongruity
Choose the right word
Incongruous applies to relations, unsuitable to purpose or use; two colors are incongruous which can not be agreeably associated; either may be unsuitable for a person, a room, or an occasion.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- inappropriate I think that what you're wearing is inappropriate.
- absurd Do you really not see how absurd your question is?
- inconsistent Nursery rhymes are deliberately inconsistent texts.
- incompatible This activity is incompatible with your position.
- ridiculous That's the most ridiculous movie I have ever seen.
- contradictory What they say is contradictory to their feelings.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| incongruous | steady | |
| inappropriate | rising | |
| absurd | steady | |
| inconsistent | steady | |
| incompatible | steady | |
| ridiculous | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- funny2, alien3, queer1, unfit2
- 6 letters
- absurd2
- 8 letters
- contrary3, improper3, assorted3, unsuited3
- 9 letters
- different3, priceless2, disparate3, ludicrous3, laughable3, repugnant3, dissonant3, equivocal4, unfitting
- 10 letters
- ridiculous4, unsuitable4, incoherent4, dissimilar4, mismatched2, discordant3, discrepant
- 11 letters
- conflicting3, incongruent, uncongruous
- 12 letters
- inconsistent4, incompatible5, inharmonious, discongruous
- 13 letters
- inappropriate5, contradictory5, heterogeneous5, unconformable, incongruitous
- 14 letters
- irreconcilable6
- 15 letters
- incommensurable
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (funny2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- incongru
- Català
- fora de lloc