incongruence

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ɪnˈkɑŋɡruəns/ UK /ɪnˈkɒŋɡruəns/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
lack of harmony or agreement between things

There was a clear incongruence between his words and his actions.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · lack of harmony or... incongruity inconsistency discordance disparitymismatchdisharmony

Opposites

congruence harmony consistency agreement

Word family

Related forms congruence incongruous congruous congruent

Etymology

From in- ('not') + congruence, from Latin congruentia ('agreement'), from congruere ('to come together, agree'), from com- ('together') + a root meaning 'to run, meet'.

congruere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# incongruence

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈkɑŋɡruəns/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈkɒŋɡruəns/

## Meanings
1. lack of harmony or agreement between things

## Examples
- There was a clear incongruence between his words and his actions.

## Synonyms
- incongruity
- inconsistency
- discordance
- disparity
- mismatch
- disharmony

## Antonyms
- congruence
- harmony
- consistency
- agreement

## Related Forms
- congruence
- incongruous
- congruous
- congruent

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: congruere

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + congruence, from Latin congruentia ('agreement'), from congruere ('to come together, agree'), from com- ('together') + a root meaning 'to run, meet'.

## AI Etymology
incongruence comes from in- ('not') + congruence, from Latin congruentia ('agreement'), from congruere ('to come together, agree'), from com- ('together') + a root meaning 'to run, meet'. Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the noun sense is "lack of harmony or agreement between things", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as congruence, incongruous, congruous, and congruent. Its semantic neighborhood includes incongruity, inconsistency, discordance, and disparity, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin congruere.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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