Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Not compatible or sympathetic, as in character.
  • adjective Not appropriate; unsuitable.
  • adjective Not pleasing; disagreeable.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not congenial.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective not congenial, compatible or sympathetic
  • adjective botany incapable of being grafted

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective very unfavorable to life or growth
  • adjective not suitable to your tastes or needs
  • adjective used of plant stock or scions; incapable of being grafted

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word uncongenial.

Examples

  • He believed that I had marked artistic talent and that I should not be forced to waste it in uncongenial work.

    Madeleine: An Autobiography Madeleine 1919

  • After a short and "uncongenial" employment with Hallensteins, Charles became one of New Zealand's foremost literary figures, founding the literary journal Landfall in 1946.

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff 2010

  • The caricature of celebrity-friendly religions, of course, is that they are long on consolation and short on anything else, such as uncongenial moral codes or an actual God whose own celebrity, celeb-watching snarks suggest, might occasionally overshadow the star's own.

    unknown title 2009

  • "uncongenial," the "friendly parting before any bitterness creeps in," and the "free to decide our lives in some happier and wiser way," rang false.

    Sisters Kathleen Thompson Norris 1923

  • She liked Hogg and loved Leigh Hunt, but Peacock was uncongenial to her.

    Biography in the DNB 2010

  • Mary, remitted from beloved friends to an uncongenial stepmother, was doubtless on her part pining for sympathy.

    Biography in the DNB 2010

  • Some of those arguments seem insane to people who find them uncongenial.

    Rally to Restore Authority James Taranto 2010

  • Frankly, we are concerned about your performing the Twist, in an era uncongenial to it, and how it might aggravate your sciatica.

    Dear Chairman Bernanke Peter Jeffrey 2011

  • They were wrapped in an uncongenial and frosty imperviousness.

    THE PRODIGAL FATHER 2010

  • That single cell contracts and recoils from the things in its environment uncongenial to its constitution, and the things congenial it draws to itself and absorbs.

    The Kempton-Wace Letters 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.