incongruent
incongruent — adjective
- incongruentpositive
- more incongruentcomparative
- most incongruentsuperlative
1. out of harmony with a surrounding context, mood, or expectation — for example, a
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.
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]
The cheerful pop song felt incongruent during the funeral that Amelia attended.
A glass office tower stood incongruent among the old stone cottages of the village.
Salma noticed that her father's new tattoo seemed incongruent with his careful, formal manner.
- 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
- congruent
fitting harmoniously with the surroundings
- harmonious
actively pleasing in its fit, not just non-clashing
文法句型
be incongruent with [something]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. in geometry, describing two shapes that cannot be placed exactly on top of each
in geometry, describing two shapes that cannot be placed exactly on top of each other because their sides or angles do not match.
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)
Adaeze realized that the two circles were incongruent because their radii differed by two centimetres.
Two triangles can have the same angles and still be incongruent if their sides have different lengths.
- non-congruent
more explicit; same meaning in geometry
- unequal
broader; about size or quantity not matching
- congruent
the two shapes match exactly in form and size
文法句型
[shape] is incongruent to/with [shape]
用法筆記
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.