THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
incongruous
adjective
Out of keeping with the surrounding context or lacking harmony.
THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
adjective
Out of keeping with the surrounding context or lacking harmony.
SEE IT IN USE
A bright plastic chair looked incongruous in the solemn antique room.
For an exhibition about everyday writing, Selim assembled an eclectic collection of notebooks, shopping lists, postcards, and handwritten signs. He did not want a homogeneous display in which every object looked as though it came from the same desk. One polished metal trophy, however, seemed incongruous beside the paper objects because its connection to writing was unexplained.
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Related words can differ in tone and context; they are not always interchangeable.
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Source study sections: 17, 19, 22.
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