uncongenial

adjective

ˌən-kən-ˈjē-nyəl How to pronounce uncongenial (audio)
Definition of uncongenialnext
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses a dank and uncongenial castle that makes one question just how merry old England really was

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uncongenial The experiment was a flop, the living arrangements spare, the neighbors uncongenial, and the couple was in debt. — Brenda Wineapple, The New York Review of Books, 19 Oct. 2022 Someone listening to an uncongenial podcast can turn it off and listen to something else or nothing at all, in total safety. — Rich Lowry, National Review, 8 Feb. 2022 People who have broken down barriers thrown up by law, social convention and institutional intolerance tend to make uncongenial company. — Star Tribune, 15 Jan. 2021 The Guston affair is a symptom of a society-wide deterioration of trust in institutions and tolerance for uncongenial expression. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020 The intellectual energy of the galleries fizzled out in this strangely uncongenial, vertical space that was reminiscent of a shopping mall. — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2019 But the $250 million Kennedy Center expansion, confined to a small and uncongenial urban footprint, was a significantly more challenging project. — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncongenial
  1. unpleasant
  2. unpleasing
  3. harsh
  4. bad
Adjective
  • Combined with massaging seats, powerful climate control and extensive sound insulation, the technology turns an unpleasant commute into something approaching a sensory deprivation chamber.
    — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Chief on consumers' minds is cyclosporiasis, an unpleasant intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which has recently dominated headlines amid a tidal wave of cases.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 28 July 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • The identity of the unpleasing Lindsay Marriott’s slayer has no pressing interest.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Definition of unpleasing
Adjective
  • But some have pushed back on the idea that the threat of harsh legal punishment could prevent the gatherings in the first place.
    — Safiyah Riddle, Fortune, 25 July 2026
  • Even if it's erased later, everyone now knows it can be drawn again, along the same criteria or something harsher, and that no one outside Washington controls where that line lands next.
    — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • The situation is particularly bad in France, which has already recorded more than 300 wildfires this year, compared to an annual average of 93, according to the EFFIS.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • Anderson’s injury record is slightly worse by virtue of a stress fracture in his back that kept him out for four months in the middle of the 2023-24 season, but over the two subsequent campaigns both have been near-constantly available.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of bad

Browse Nearby Words

unconfirmed
uncongenial
unconnected
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uncongenial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncongenial. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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