incongruous
Significado: Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings, context, or expectations; strikingly out of place or inappropriate in a given setting.
Incongruous draws attention to the jarring effect of something that does not belong — a modern glass tower amid Georgian terraces, a comedian at a funeral, a formal register in a casual conversation. The word implies not merely difference but visible mismatch, and it often carries a note of mild absurdity or dark humour. It appears frequently in architectural criticism, literary analysis, and social observation, and collocates with 'sight,' 'juxtaposition,' 'setting,' 'note,' and 'presence.' The noun 'incongruity' is equally useful for describing the mismatch itself.
Ejemplos
- The brutalist car park struck an incongruous note alongside the medieval cathedral, though some defended it as bold architectural counterpoint. 那座粗野主义风格的停车楼与中世纪大教堂并列显得极不协调,尽管有人将其辩护为大胆的建筑对比。El aparcamiento brutalista sonaba como una nota incongruente junto a la catedral medieval, aunque algunos lo defendieron como un audaz contrapunto arquitectónico.ブルータリズム建築の駐車場が中世の大聖堂と並ぶのは不調和に感じられたが、大胆な建築的対比として擁護する声もあった。브루탈리즘 양식의 주차장이 중세 대성당 옆에 서 있는 것은 부조화스러웠지만, 일부는 이를 대담한 건축적 대비로 옹호했다.
- There was something incongruous about the billionaire philanthropist arriving at the food bank in a chauffeur-driven Bentley. 亿万富翁慈善家乘坐司机驾驶的宾利到食品银行,这一场景有些不协调。Había algo incongruente en que el multimillonario filántropo llegase al banco de alimentos en un Bentley con chófer.億万長者の慈善家がお抱え運転手付きのベントレーでフードバンクに到着するのは、どこか場違いだった。억만장자 자선가가 전속 운전사가 모는 벤틀리를 타고 푸드뱅크에 도착하는 것에는 어딘가 어울리지 않는 데가 있었다.
- The author places her characters in deliberately incongruous settings — a samurai in a supermarket, a Viking at a village fête — to comic and philosophical effect. 作者将角色置于刻意不协调的场景中——超市里的武士、乡村集市上的维京人——以达到喜剧和哲学效果。La autora sitúa a sus personajes en escenarios deliberadamente incongruentes —un samurái en un supermercado, un vikingo en una feria de pueblo— con efecto cómico y filosófico.この作家は登場人物を意図的に不調和な場面に配置する——スーパーマーケットの侍、村のフェアのヴァイキング——喜劇的かつ哲学的な効果を狙って。이 작가는 등장인물을 의도적으로 어울리지 않는 배경에 배치한다 — 슈퍼마켓의 사무라이, 마을 축제의 바이킹 — 희극적이면서도 철학적인 효과를 노리며.
Pronunciación
Guía de uso
Contexto: general, academic
Tono: neutral
Origen e historia
From Latin incongruus (not agreeing, not fitting), from in- (not) and congruus (agreeing, suitable), from congruere (to come together, agree). Entered English in the early 17th century.
Contexto cultural
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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