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incongruity

incongruity

6 8.0
A situation where something does not fit or seem right
  • noun
  • /ˌɪn.kənˈɡruː.ɪ.ti/
translation icon : incongruidad
  • Some parents described the incongruity between teachers' expectations and their child's inability to meet those expectations.
  • an obvious incongruity
  • incongruities and contradictions

Such reconstructions will invariably be riddled with incongruities and uncertainties and lacunae.

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Examples

  • In order to appreciate a riddle, children have to discover the incongruity between riddle questions and riddle answers.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Nothing arrests us, but every incongruity surprises us.

  • And that is definitely an incongruity in the application of the law.

  • Would he assume that this kind of incongruity was a normal part of life in this country?

    Fiction book (2001)
  • As the words left his mouth, Brian became aware of an incongruity between his speech and theirs.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Suddenly they no longer seemed familiar, and a feeling of dreamlike incongruity came over her.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Either way, it is the jarring incongruity that brings both surprise and pleasure to the reader.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Comedy is contingent on incongruity and affinity, not appearance and reality.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Trulee Pist raises a good point about the incongruity of the entire PA Ave area.

    Blog text (15)
  • The comedian highlighted the incongruity of wearing shorts in winter, making everyone laugh.

Synonyms

inconsistency
vsincongruity
30 4.8

A situation where things do not match or agree

highlights being out of place or unsuitable rather than simple disagreement
dissonance
vsincongruity
23 7.8

A lack of agreement in what people say, do or think

is the general state of things being unsuitable or inconsistent
mismatch
vsincongruity
21 3.6

A combination of people or things that do not go well together

covers broader situations of being out of place or inconsistent
incompatibility
vsincongruity
4 6.6

A situation where two things cannot work or live together without problems

describes lack of harmony without necessarily causing conflict or inability
incongruence
vsincongruity
1 8.1

A lack of agreement between things or ideas

emphasizes being out of place or unsuitable rather than only disagreement
discordancy
vsincongruity
1 8.2

A situation where people or things do not agree

is about being out of place or unsuitable, not just disagreement
discordance
vsincongruity
1 8.1

A situation where people or groups disagree and feel tension

is the quieter state of being unsuitable or not fitting together
incongruousness
vsincongruity
8.5

The state of not fitting the place or situation

is about lack of harmony or agreement between things
inharmony
vsincongruity
8.2

Lack of agreement between people in a team or group

highlights unsuitability or being out of place beyond mere disagreement
inconformity
vsincongruity
9.4

When something does not agree with rules or expectations

applies more to general lack of harmony and unsuitability between things
contradictoriness
vsincongruity
9.1

A state where ideas or statements say opposite things and cannot both be true

focuses on mismatch or unsuitability rather than strict logical opposition

Antonyms

14 3.2

A pleasing arrangement of parts that go well together, like colors or sounds

congruity
  • Formal
1 7.4

A good match between things or ideas that makes them fit together

How Incongruous

absurdity
54 6.1
incongruity
6 8.0
strangeness
12 5.5
anomaly
165 7.1
oddity
15 5.3

Surface Forms

incongruity singular
incongruities plural

Morphology

incongruity = incongruous (semi-transparent) = in + congru + ity

The noun means 'the state or quality of being incongruous', but the spelling change from 'incongruous' to 'incongruity' makes the derivation less immediately obvious.

Etymology

Incongruity starts with in- meaning 'not' and the rest comes from a root meaning 'to fit together', which you can also see in the word congruous. So an incongruity is something that does not 'fit' or match and feels out of place.