displaying a lack of consistency
"inconsistent statements cannot both be true at the same time"
"inconsistent with the roadmap"
not in agreement
"The two witnesses gave inconsistent accounts of where they saw the suspect flee."
Not consistent:
"The results were inconsistent because they varied significantly from test to test."
Not compatible (with another thing); incompatible, discrepant, at odds.
"The new data was inconsistent with the original report because it presented conflicting figures."
In plain English: Inconsistent means not staying the same, changing often without any clear pattern.
"His story was inconsistent because he said different things at breakfast and dinner."
Usage: Use inconsistent to describe actions or results that vary unpredictably rather than staying the same over time. This word is often confused with incoherent when describing speech, but it specifically refers to a lack of uniformity instead of clarity.
The word inconsistent comes from combining the prefix in- with consistent. It literally means being not consistent or failing to stay the same.