incongruity Hear it!

incongruity Definition

in·con·gru·ity (in′kän gro̵̅o̅′i tē, -kən-)

noun

  1. the condition, quality, or fact of being incongruous; specif.,
    1. lack of harmony or agreement
    2. lack of fitness or appropriateness
  2. pl. -·ties something incongruous

Etymology: ML incongruitas < L incongruus

incongruity Synonyms

incongruity

n.

discrepancy, inappropriateness, mismatch, anachronism; see difference 1, inconsistency.

incongruity Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • see: The man who sees not the incongruity has great need of having his eyes anointed.
  • explain: Scientology leaders are now faced with having to concoct a story for their current members explaining the painfully obvious incongruity of their actions.
  • show: How do you feel when you see a picture like that, almost showing the incongruity of war and a religious belief?
  • find: Only people who know little of the history of ideas will find any incongruity here.
  • reflect: The tutor focused on the potential conflicts between the values, reflecting back possible incongruities.
  • create: But common phrases, too, can create similar incongruities.

Adjective modifier

  • apparent: There are various angles from which the apparent incongruity could be viewed.
  • such: Bow-Wow evidently takes pleasure in such incongruities -- an illusion or expectation is set up and then punctured with deadpan nonchalance.
  • humorous: It also indicates that humorous incongruity is likely to be disregarded and ' not taken seriously ' .
  • obvious: Scientology leaders are now faced with having to concoct a story for their current members explaining the painfully obvious incongruity of their actions.
  • stylistic: Alicia Paz appropriates freely from popular culture mimicking a rough collaged texture with stylistic incongruities rendered meticulously in paint.
  • visual: The visual incongruity of erstwhile ambassador and broken Jack-in-the-box is heart-breaking.

Modifies a noun

theory: The incongruity theory is one of the most influential theories of humor and laughter.

Possessives

life: Having and maintaining faith and adhering to a spiritual practice will alleviate life's many incongruities and contradictions.

Preposition: in

midst: They were a most impressive incongruity in the midst of the tokens of an omnipotent civilization.

Preposition: of

  • situation: I hope that now you see the incongruity of the situation.
  • life: In spite of the many difficulties presented by the incongruities of life, there is a moral rule, for God is supreme.
  • war: How do you feel when you see a picture like that, almost showing the incongruity of war and a religious belief?