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# inconsistent

adjective (inconsistent, more inconsistent); noun «inconsistency»

«inconsistent» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Not staying the same; changing in quality or behaviour: an inconsistent player. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#m1)
2. Not agreeing or fitting together: two facts that are inconsistent with each other. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#m2)
3. (formal) Not following the same rules each time: inconsistent marking. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science, results that are inconsistent vary a lot, so you repeat the test; in maths and logic, statements that cannot both be true are inconsistent. In detective stories, a suspect's story is inconsistent with the clues. In sport, an inconsistent team plays well one week and badly the next. Phrases: inconsistent with, inconsistent results, wildly inconsistent.

### Examples

- Our results were inconsistent, so we repeated the experiment. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#x1)
- His story was inconsistent with the footprints. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#x2)
- The team has been inconsistent all season. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#x3)
- The rules were applied in an inconsistent way, which felt unfair. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#x4)
- My handwriting is inconsistent: neat at first, messy at the end. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#x5)
- Saying «I never lie» and then lying is inconsistent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#x6)
- The numerous traditions which have gathered around the original idea vary to some extent according to their locality, but they are never radically inconsistent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/#x7)

### Note

Followed by «with»: «inconsistent with the facts». Opposite: «consistent». In maths, a set of equations with no solution is called inconsistent.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «inconsistent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inconsistent/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«inconsistent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/inconsistent.html) on Mova free.