Incongruous – adjective
- Out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming (Dictionary.com)
- Not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts; inconsistent (Dictionary.com)
- Unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening (Cambridge)
- Appearing strange or wrong within a particular situation (Cambridge)
- Lacking congruity: such as
- not harmonious: incompatible
- not conforming: disagreeing
- inconsistent within itself
- lacking propriety: unsuitable (Merriam-Webster)
“Incongruous is a spin-off of its antonym, congruous, which means ‘in agreement, harmony, or correspondence.’ Etymologists are in agreement about the origin of both words; they trace it to the Latin verb congruere, which means ‘to come together’ or ‘to agree.’ The dates of the words’ first uses in English match up pretty well, too. The first known use of congruous dates from 1599, and the earliest print appearance of incongruous dates from 1611.” – Merriam-Webster
Writing and Listening — an Interview with Brooke Randel
As a young girl Brooke Randel knew little about the Holocaust—just that it was a catastrophe in which millions were murdered, and that her grandma Golda Indig barely escaped that fate. But her Bubbie never spoke about what happened, and the two spent most of their time together making pleasant memories: baking crescent roll cookies, playing gin rummy, and watching Baywatch. Until an unexpected phone call when Golda said, out of the blue: “You should write about my life. What happened in the war.” What results is a fascinating memoir—about one woman’s harrowing survival, and another’s struggle to excavate theRead more…