inconsistent

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/ UK /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
not staying the same; containing contradictory elements

His story was inconsistent with the witnesses' accounts.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not staying the same;... contradictory incompatible erratic variable incongruous conflicting

Opposites

consistent uniform coherent steady

Word family

Forms inconsistently

Derived forms inconsistentlyinconsistency

Related forms consistent consistency consist

Etymology

From in- ('not') + consistent, from Latin consistens, present participle of consistere ('to stand firm'), from com- ('together') + sistere ('to set, stand').

consistere Latin sistere Latin *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# inconsistent

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt
**IPA (UK):** ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt

## Meanings
1. not staying the same; containing contradictory elements

## Examples
- His story was inconsistent with the witnesses' accounts.

## Synonyms
- contradictory
- incompatible
- erratic
- variable
- incongruous
- conflicting

## Antonyms
- consistent
- uniform
- coherent
- steady

## Derived Forms
- inconsistently
- inconsistency

## Related Forms
- consistent
- consistency
- consist

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: consistere
- Root: sistere
- Root: *steh₂-

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + consistent, from Latin consistens, present participle of consistere ('to stand firm'), from com- ('together') + sistere ('to set, stand').

## AI Etymology
Inconsistent comes from in- ('not') + consistent, from Latin consistens, present participle of consistere ('to stand firm'), from com- ('together') + sistere ('to set, stand'). The historical trail runs through Latin consistere, Latin sistere and Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means not staying the same; containing contradictory elements. Derived formations include inconsistently, inconsistency; related forms include consistent, consistency, consist.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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