Word of the day: INCONGRUOUS (in-KAHNG-groo-wus) – Out of place, inappropriate, inconsistent, unsuitable, lacking harmony of parts or agreement in character. Incongruous comes from a Latin verb meaning to come together, fit in. From the same source come the adjectives congruous (KAHNG-groo-wus) and congruent (KAHNG-groo-int), which mean coming together harmoniously, fitting in consistently. The in- at the beginning of incongruous is called a privative (PRIV-uh-tiv) prefix, which means it deprives or takes away the meaning of what follows. Thus, incongruous means not congruous, not appropriate, not consistent, out of place. An incongruous remark is one that is inappropriate or not in keeping with the conversation. An incongruous element is out of place, not consistent with the elements around it. An incongruous action is unsuitable to the occasion or situation. An incongruous mixture lacks harmony or agreement. - Elster, Charles Harrington (2009-02-04). Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 12:00:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015