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Loading... www.merriam-webster.com · dictionary · incongruityIncongruity Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
1. : the quality or state of being incongruous. 2. : something that is incongruous. Synonyms. contradiction. dichotomy. paradox. See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus. Examples of incongruity in a Sentence. she's an incongruity: an impeccably groomed woman who keeps a messy house.
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Definition. Incongruity refers to a lack of harmony or agreement between elements, often highlighting a discrepancy between expectations and reality. This concept is significant in various forms of expression, especially in literature and drama, where it creates tension or humor by presenting situations that defy logical reasoning or societal ...
- A Fish Out Of Water. Cause: Environmental dissonance. Ordinarily, we expect fish to be in water, which is their natural environment. By placing a fish outside of water, we’ve created cognitive dissonance since it does not align with our expectations or the norm.
- A Snowman In The Desert. Cause: Environmental dissonance. A snowman in the desert presents two contradictory elements. The key concept here is that snowmen are associated with cold climates and not the hot and dry conditions of a desert.
- A Knight In Modern-Day New York. Cause: Temporal dissonance. A knight in modern-day New York represents temporal dissonance. Knights are associated with medieval times, a world of castles, chivalry and horse-mounted combat while modern-day New York symbolizes a technologically advanced era of skyscrapers, subways and fast-paced urban life.
- A Chicken Attending A Seminar On How To Cross The Road. Cause: Behavioral dissonance. A chicken attending a seminar causes dissonance on two levels. First, chickens typically aren’t capable of conceptual reasoning or attending seminars.
Searches related to define incongruity in literature
Incongruity means out of place — something that doesn't fit in its location or situation. The art show patrons couldn't help but chuckle at the incongruity of a toilet sitting in the middle of an exhibition of Renaissance paintings.
- Definition of Irony
- Types of Irony
- Difference Between Irony and Sarcasm
- Common Examples of Irony
- Examples of Irony in Literature
- Test Your Knowledge of Irony
As a literary device, irony is a contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality. This can be a difference between the surface meaning of something that is said and the underlying meaning. It can also be a difference between what might be expected to happen and what actually occurs. The definition of irony can furth...
Verbal Irony
Verbal irony takes place when the speaker says something in sharp contrast to his or her actual meaning. The speaker often makes a statement that seems very direct, yet indicates that the opposite is in fact true, or what the speaker really means. Looking at Alanis Morrissette’s “Ironic” again, the one true instance of irony comes when the man whose plane is going down says, “Well, isn’t this nice.” Clearly, the plane crash is anything but nice, and thus this utterance conveys the opposite of...
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience has more information than one or more characters in a work of literature. This literary device originated in Greek tragedy and often leads to tragic outcomes. For example, in Shakespeare’s Othello, the audience is aware that Othello’s best friend Iago is villainous and attempting to bring Othello down. The audience is also aware that Desdemona has been faithful, though Othello doesn’t know this. The audience can foresee the imminent disaster. There are...
Situational Irony
Situational irony consists of a situation in which the outcome is very different from what was expected. There are contradictions and contrasts present in cases of situational irony. For example, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the citizens of the Emerald City assume that Oz is great and all-powerful, yet the man behind the curtain is revealed to be an old man with no special powers. Other types of irony: 1. Cosmic Irony: Cosmic irony, also known as “irony of fate”, is present in stories that...
Though there are many similarities between verbal irony and sarcasm, they are not equivalent. However, there are many dissenting opinions about how, exactly, they are different. For example, the Encyclopedia Britannica simply explains that sarcasm is non-literary irony. Others have argued that while someone employing verbal irony says the opposite ...
Verbal irony: “What a pleasant day” (when it is raining heavily)Situational irony: Referring to WWI as “the war to end all wars”Situational irony: In 1925 when the New York Times declared that the crossword puzzle was a craze that was “dying out fast”Dramatic irony: The movie “The Truman Show”, where only Truman doesn’t know that he’s being filmed at all timesExample #1
Romeo and Julietby Shakespeare In this famous love story the audience can foresee the tragic ending long before Romeo and Juliet themselves know what’s going to happen. At the end of the play, Romeo finds Juliet and believes her to be dead though the audience knows she’s taken a sleeping potion. Romeo kills himself with this false knowledge. Juliet then wakes up and, finding Romeo truly dead, kills herself as well. This irony example is one of dramatic irony as the audience has more informati...
Example #2
(Julius Caesarby Shakespeare) In this quote from Julius Caesar, Mark Antony is seemingly praising Brutus after the assassination of Julius Caesar. However, this example of irony is one of verbal irony, since Mark Antony is in fact implying that Brutus is neither ambitious nor honorable.
Example #3
“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry In this short story, a young, poor couple struggle with what to buy each other for Christmas. The woman cuts her hair and sells it to buy a watchband for her husband. Meanwhile, the husband sells his watch face to buy combs for his wife’s hair. This is an example of situational irony, since the outcome is the opposite of what both parties expect.
1. Choose the best irony definition: A. An unfortunate coincidence in which the worst possible ending comes to pass. B. A contrast between expectations for what is going to happen and what actually does happen. C. A biting comment meant to be both humorous and true. [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #1″] Answer: B is the best answer.[/spoiler] 2. ...
incongruity-is not something new un-der the sun. What is the incongruous? Essentially an incongruous event (line or action) is one which involves a con-tradiction: ideas apparently unrelated and moreover in conflict with one an-other are placed together (in space or time) in such a way as to imply or state a connection between them. When the
Situational Irony occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead.
