incongruent

IPA/ɪnˈkɒŋ.ɡru.ənt/
IPA/ˌɪn.kəŋˈɡru.ənt/

incongruent — adjective

  • incongruentpositive
  • more incongruentcomparative
  • most incongruentsuperlative

1. out of harmony with a surrounding context, mood, or expectation — for example, a

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

out of harmony with a surrounding context, mood, or expectation — for example, a cheerful song played at a funeral, or a glass tower standing among old stone cottages.

Example

The bright red sofa looked incongruent in Ilan's quiet, minimalist living room.

look incongruent in [a setting]

Hoa felt that loud laughter was incongruent with the silence of the temple garden.

be incongruent with [something]

Common collocations
  • incongruent with
  • look incongruent
  • seem incongruent
  • feel incongruent
Synonyms
  • incongruous

    much more common in everyday English; near-identical meaning

  • out of place

    informal everyday phrase for the same idea

  • discordant

    stresses a jarring or clashing effect, often of sounds or styles

  • inconsistent

    broader; about facts or behaviour not matching, not just style or atmosphere

Antonyms
  • congruent

    fitting harmoniously with the surroundings

  • harmonious

    actively pleasing in its fit, not just non-clashing

Grammar Patterns

be incongruent with [something]

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'with' to name the thing it clashes against. Common subjects are objects, sounds, behaviour, or visual styles set against a contrasting background; rarely used of people themselves.

Common Mistakes

The dress is incongruent.
The dress is incongruent with the formal occasion.
needs a 'with' phrase or clear context to say what it clashes with.
I feel incongruent today.
I feel out of place today.
'incongruent' describes things in a setting, not a personal mood.

2. in geometry, describing two shapes that cannot be placed exactly on top of each

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

in geometry, describing two shapes that cannot be placed exactly on top of each other because their sides or angles do not match.

Example

Élise showed the class that the two triangles on the board were incongruent.

be incongruent (of geometric shapes)

The teacher explained why a square and a rectangle of different sides are incongruent.

be incongruent (with differing side lengths)

Common collocations
  • incongruent triangles
  • incongruent shapes
  • incongruent to
Synonyms
  • non-congruent

    more explicit; same meaning in geometry

  • unequal

    broader; about size or quantity not matching

Antonyms
  • congruent

    the two shapes match exactly in form and size

Grammar Patterns

[shape] is incongruent to/with [shape]

Usage Note

Technical term used almost only in geometry lessons or textbooks; in everyday writing the general sense (sense 1) is far more common. Subject is always a geometric shape, never a person or object.

Common Mistakes

These two boxes are incongruent in size.
These two boxes are different in size.
outside geometry, prefer 'different' for size mismatches.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Incongruous' is by far the more common adjective for things that clash with their surroundings; 'incongruent' is a less frequent variant that means almost the same thing and is mostly seen in formal or academic writing. 'Discordant' adds a sharper, more jarring sense — used especially of sounds, colours, or opinions that grate against each other, as in 'discordant violins' or 'discordant voices in the meeting'. 'Inconsistent' shifts the focus to facts or behaviour that fail to match each other (an inconsistent statement, an inconsistent player), rather than to one element clashing with its setting. So you would write 'a glass tower incongruous among old cottages', 'a discordant trumpet in the quiet hall', and 'an inconsistent witness whose stories kept changing'.

incongruent ↗incongruous ↗discordant ↗inconsistent ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • look incongruent
  • seem incongruent
  • feel incongruent with

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Built from the Latin prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' plus 'congruent', which comes from Latin 'congruere' meaning 'to come together, agree, fit'. The English word reached its modern form in the late 1700s, first in geometry textbooks and later in general writing about things that fail to match their setting.