irregular
/ɪˈɹɛɡ.jə.lɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.70 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Nonstandard; not conforming to rules or expectations.
adj
Without symmetry, regularity, or uniformity.
adj
Of a polyhedron, whose faces are not all regular polygons (or are not equally inclined to each other).
noun
A soldier who is not a member of an official military force and who may not use regular army tactics.
Example Sentences
- "‘ “It would be most irregular Grandpa!” says Miss Cecily frowning and tapping her foot. “Well, we’re a pretty irregular family so that’s neither here nor there,” says the old man, impish like. [...] ’"
- "The hovel stood in the centre of what had once been a vegetable garden, but was now a patch of rank weeds. Surrounding this, almost like a zareba, was an irregular ring of gorse and brambles, an unclaimed vestige of the original common."
- "Near by, where the crystal clear River Llugwy is crossed by a bridge, stands a small and ancient church built of massive, irregular boulders."
- "Many of these classic methods are still used, with some modern improvements. For example, with the aid of special microphones and automated sound detection software, ornithologists recently reported […] that pine siskins (Spinus pinus) undergo an irregular, nomadic type of nocturnal migration."
- "Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found."
- "The improvements will be most keenly felt across Lincolnshire, where current irregular service patterns are more a function of operational convenience than passenger demand."
Etymology
From Middle English irreguler, from Old French irreguler, from Medieval Latin or Late Latin irrēgulāris, from in- + regularis, equivalent to ir- + regular.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: irreguler, -, irrēgulāris
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪˈɹɛɡ.jə.lɚ/
- British English: /ɪˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə/