Word
irregular
Phoneticsir·reg·u·lar
US/ˌɪˈɹɛɡjəɫɝ/
UK/ɪɹˈɛɡjuːlɐ/
Definitions
01not following a pattern
adj. not happening at regular times or following a steady pattern.
adj. occurring at uneven or varying intervals; lacking a predictable temporal or spatial pattern.
“The doctor noticed that the patient had an irregular heartbeat.”
“The company faced significant cash flow problems due to the irregular nature of their seasonal sales and unpredictable client payments.”
Antonyms
02grammar
adj. a word that does not follow the usual rules for its endings.
adj. not following the standard patterns of inflection or conjugation within a specific language system.
“The verb 'to be' is the most irregular verb in the English language.”
“Students often struggle with irregular past participle forms, as they must be memorised individually rather than generated through a rule-based suffix.”
Technical
Usage
In linguistics, this usually refers to verbs, nouns, or adjectives that have unique forms.
Pitfall
The past tense of 'go' is a regular word.
The past tense of 'go' is irregular.
In grammar, 'irregular' is the specific term for words that do not follow the standard rules for endings like -ed.
Synonyms
Antonyms
03uneven shape
adj. not having a smooth or balanced shape.
adj. lacking symmetry, uniformity, or equal sides and angles.
“The island has a very irregular coastline with many small bays.”
“The architect designed the building around an irregular plot of land, resulting in a unique floor plan with no right angles.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04unofficial soldier
n. a soldier who is not part of a country's official army.
n. a member of an armed force that is not part of the official military establishment of a state.
“The forest was filled with irregulars fighting against the invading army.”
“The historical account details how a small band of irregulars managed to disrupt the supply lines of the professional imperial forces for several months.”
Formal
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“It also proposes introducing military education in high schools and a “remigration” plan to remove irregular immigrants and foreign nationals who commit crimes.” “So why is it taking Spain so long to decide what to do with the irregular migrants in Ceuta?” “In the sediment core, this should result in thick, irregular banding instead of regular couplets.” Etymology
From Middle English irreguler, from Old French irreguler, from Medieval Latin or Late Latin irrēgulāris, from in- + regularis, equivalent to ir- + regular.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/irregular