Meaning & use
incongruency
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountableformal
A mismatch between things that should fit together or agree, such as words and actions.
Grammar: Uncountable for the general idea (some incongruency); countable for one specific mismatch (an incongruency).
Patterns
- incongruency between X and Y
- incongruency in something
There was an obvious incongruency between his cheerful words and his tired face.
The auditor noted an incongruency in the two sets of figures.
She felt a growing incongruency between her values and her job.
noununcountableformal
The quality of seeming out of place or odd in its surroundings.
Grammar: Often found in discussions of style, design and humor.
Patterns
- the incongruency of something
Much of the comedy came from the incongruency of a penguin in a business suit.
The incongruency of modern furniture in the old castle surprised visitors.
Critics pointed to the incongruency of a cheerful song in a sad film.
Word forms
| plural | incongruencies |
|---|
Common combinations
- incongruency between
- The report found an incongruency between the plans and the budget.
- glaring incongruency
- The glaring incongruency made the teacher look twice.
- noticeable incongruency
- There was a noticeable incongruency in the timeline.
- cognitive incongruency
- Cognitive incongruency can make people uncomfortable.
- resolve the incongruency
- They tried to resolve the incongruency in their records.
Synonyms and how they differ
- incongruity
- Incongruity is the older, more usual form of the noun, and incongruency is a less common variant with the same meaning.
- inconsistency
- Inconsistency means failing to stay the same or agree, while incongruency stresses poor fit, as if two things clash.
- discrepancy
- Discrepancy usually refers to a difference between facts or figures that should agree, so it is narrower and more factual.
- mismatch
- Mismatch is the simplest everyday word, whereas incongruency sounds more formal and analytical.
Opposites
Word family
- incongruous adjective
- out of place or not in agreement with the surroundings
- incongruity noun
- the standard noun for a mismatch or oddness
- incongruously adverb
- in a way that seems out of place
- congruent adjective
- in agreement or matching
Commonly confused: incongruency or incongruity? incongruency or inconsistency?
incongruency vs incongruity
Incongruity is the more widely used noun; incongruency is acceptable but rarer.
incongruency vs inconsistency
An inconsistency is a failure to be uniform or to agree over time, whereas an incongruency is a poor fit between things.
Practice
Which situation best shows an incongruency?
Choose one answer.
An incongruency is something that clashes with its setting, as a clown at a funeral does. The other options describe ordinary activities that fit their surroundings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “incongruency”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.