irrelevant

[ ih-rel-uh-vuhnt ]

adjective

1. not relevant; not applicable or pertinent:

   His lectures often stray to interesting but irrelevant subjects.

2. Law. (of evidence) having no probative value upon any issue in the case.

irrelevant

/ ɪˈrɛləvənt /

adjective

1. not relating or pertinent to the matter at hand; not important

Pronunciation Note

The pronunciation of irrelevant [ih-, rel, -, uh, -v, uh, nt], as [ih-, rev, -, uh, -l, uh, nt], as if spelled irrevelant, is the result of metathesis, the transposition of two sounds, in this case, the [l] and the [v]. Relevant, the base word, is occasionally subject to the same process. Analogy with words like prevalent and equivalent may play a role. A similar reordering of the [l] and [v] consonant sounds, althought not a strict one-to-one metathesis, can be heard for Calvary [kal, -v, uh, -ree] when pronounced [kav, -, uh, l-ree]. Here the transposition is reinforced by the existence of the familiar word cavalry.

Derived Forms

• irˈrelevance, noun
• irˈrelevantly, adverb

Other Words From

• ir·rele·vant·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of irrelevant¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

The quandary of whether to freeze eggs or not could become irrelevant overnight.

From The Daily Beast

That is decidedly not to say that politics and economics are irrelevant.

From The Daily Beast

The added charge for access to hotel Wi-Fi is not only exploitative but increasingly irrelevant.

From The Daily Beast

Nicki treats the obsession with her pop ambitions as an irrelevant, surface-level irritation.

From The Daily Beast

Today many in the economics and urban planning professions consider such factors close to irrelevant.

From The Daily Beast

Either they are unavoidable if your living questions are fully discussed, or they are irrelevant and they do not matter.

From Project Gutenberg

All the dull months he had spent with Cash and the burros dwarfed into a pointless, irrelevant incident of his life.

From Project Gutenberg

Without wasting time in irrelevant chat, the seconds walked apart for consultation.

From Project Gutenberg

Much competent evidence (to borrow from the lawyers) we must reject as irrelevant or immaterial to our main issue.

From Project Gutenberg

The mention by Hogarth of Ridley and Latimer they considered irrelevant; their fathers' heroic mood was a detail: not an entail.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• extraneous
• immaterial
• inappropriate
• inconsequential
• insignificant
• pointless
• trivial
• unimportant
• unnecessary
• unrelated