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
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Recent Examples of uncongenial
Short of calling an exterminator, experts suggest the following ways to rid a car, truck or SUV of rodents:
One way is to simply make the vehicle uncongenial.
—
Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Bauer attributes the poverty of the third world to cultural values inimical to productivity:
In much of the Third World the political, social, and personal determinants of economic performance are often uncongenial to economic development.
—Wanjiru Njoya, Orange County Register, 13 Feb. 2024
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
Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Bauer attributes the poverty of the third world to cultural values inimical to productivity:
In much of the Third World the political, social, and personal determinants of economic performance are often uncongenial to economic development.
—Wanjiru Njoya, Orange County Register, 13 Feb. 2024
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncongenial
Adjective
-
Considering that Rebecca and Noah’s mom, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), came off as equally unpleasant, Foster, Konner, and Kaplan kind of had to retool the character.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Despite being so unpleasant, hemorrhoid complications are surprisingly common.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
-
His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Adjective
-
According to the woman, her parents’ reasoning for denying her requests was rooted in a harsh lesson about independence.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of buying special cleaners or reaching for harsh chemicals to clean around your home, look to your medicine cabinet for a solution.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
FarmVille wasn’t bad, but something was missing.—
Moisés Naím,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The asteroid impact triggered one of the planet's worst mass-extinction events, wiping out all dinosaurs but birds.—
DINO GRANDONI THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Uncongenial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncongenial. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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