Definition of incongruitynext
as in paradox
someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another she's an incongruity: an impeccably groomed woman who keeps a messy house

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of incongruity Irony involves incongruity, while tragicomedy is about possible congruity—not mutual erasure but the capacity for the tragic and comic to coexist. — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026 There is an incongruity that may be best understood as an irony. — Aaron Matz, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026 The incongruity between the grim dystopia that Coetzee conjured and the booming post-apartheid reality of Cape Town is terribly relevant to the way he is perceived, and puzzled over, by South Africans today. — Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2026 This shows early cognitive engagement with incongruity, which is a fundamental element of humor. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incongruity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incongruity
paradox
Noun
  • One proposal to resolve the paradox is the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Her account opens with an acute examination of the paradoxes of willing (an example of how boldly this memoir follows its philosophical interests).
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Incongruity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incongruity. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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