regular

American  

[reg-yuh-ler] / ˈrɛg yə lər /

adjective

1. usual; normal; customary.

   To stay tidy, always put things back in their regular place immediately.

2. evenly or uniformly arranged; symmetrical.

   His white, regular teeth were his most noticable feature.

   Synonyms:

   uniform, orderly, formal, even

3. characterized by fixed principle, uniform procedure, etc..

   It's a relief to finally have regular income coming in.

4. recurring at fixed times; periodic: The dog is much better now that she's getting regular meals.

   Regular bus departures occured between noon and three in the afternnoon.

   The dog is much better now that she's getting regular meals.

   Synonyms:

   fixed, habitual

5. rhythmical.

   The baby's regular breathing suggested she was finally sleeping.

6. occurring with normal frequency, as menses or bowel movements.

7. having regular menses or bowel movements.

8. adhering to a rule or procedure; methodical.

   regular habits; to be regular in one's diet.

   Synonyms:

   systematic

9. observing fixed times or habits; habitual.

   a regular customer.

10. orderly; well-ordered.

    a regular life.

11. conforming to some accepted rule, discipline, etc.

12. carried out in accordance with an accepted principle or rule; formally correct.

    a regular session of the court.

13. qualified to engage in an occupation or profession; legitimate; proper.

    I suspected the man wasn't a regular doctor.

14. Informal.

    1. real or genuine; down-to-earth; decent.

       a regular guy.

    2. absolute; thoroughgoing.

       a regular rascal.

15. (of a flower) having the members of each of its floral circles or whorls alike in form and size.

16. Grammar. conforming to the most prevalent pattern of formation, inflection, construction, etc..

    a regular verb.

17. Mathematics.

    1. governed by one law throughout.

    2. (of a polygon) having all sides and angles equal.

    3. (of a polyhedron) having all faces congruent regular polygons, and all solid angles congruent.

    4. (of a topological space) having the property that, corresponding to each point and a closed set not containing the point, there are two disjoint open sets, one containing the point, the other containing the closed set.

    5. (of a function of a complex variable) analytic.

18. Military. noting or belonging to the permanently organized, or standing, army of a state.

19. International Law. noting soldiers recognized as legitimate combatants in warfare.

20. Ecclesiastical. subject to a religious rule, or belonging to a religious or monastic order (opposed to secular).

    regular clergy.

21. U.S. Politics. of, relating to, or selected by the recognized agents of a political party.

    the regular ticket.

22. of or relating to a product, such as a food or beverage, that has the original formula or typical ingredients, usually used to contrast with a modified version of the same product: regular yogurt or soy yogurt;

    regular or diet soda;

    regular yogurt or soy yogurt;

    regular gasoline or premium.

23. (of coffee) containing an average amount of milk or cream.

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noun

1. a long-standing or habitual customer or client.

   The restaurant can always find tables for its regulars.

2. Ecclesiastical. a member of a duly constituted religious order under a rule.

3. Military. a professional soldier.

4. U.S. Politics. a party member who faithfully stands by their party.

5. a size of garment designed for men of average build.

6. a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in a size of garment designed for men of average build.

7. an athlete who plays in most of the games, usually from the start.

regular British  

/ ˈrɛɡjʊlə /

adjective

1. normal, customary, or usual

2. according to a uniform principle, arrangement, or order

   trees planted at regular intervals

3. occurring at fixed or prearranged intervals

   to make a regular call on a customer

4. following a set rule or normal practice; methodical or orderly

5. symmetrical in appearance or form; even

   regular features

6. (prenominal) organized, elected, conducted, etc, in a proper or officially prescribed manner

7. (prenominal) officially qualified or recognized

   he's not a regular doctor

8. (prenominal) (intensifier)

   a regular fool

9. informal likable, dependable, or nice (esp in the phrase a regular guy )

10. denoting or relating to the personnel or units of the permanent military services

    a regular soldier

    the regular army

11. (of flowers) having any of their parts, esp petals, alike in size, shape, arrangement, etc; symmetrical

12. (of the formation, inflections, etc, of a word) following the usual pattern of formation in a language

13. maths

    1. (of a polygon) equilateral and equiangular

    2. (of a polyhedron) having identical regular polygons as faces that make identical angles with each other

    3. (of a prism) having regular polygons as bases

    4. (of a pyramid) having a regular polygon as a base and the altitude passing through the centre of the base

    5. another name for analytic

14. botany another word for actinomorphic

15. (postpositive) subject to the rule of an established religious order or community

    canons regular

16. politics of, selected by, or loyal to the leadership or platform of a political party

    a regular candidate

    regular policies

17. crystallog another word for cubic

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noun

1. a professional long-term serviceman or -woman in a military unit

2. informal a person who does something regularly, such as attending a theatre or patronizing a shop

3. a member of a religious order or congregation, as contrasted with a secular

4. politics a party member loyal to the leadership, organization, platform, etc, of his or her party

regular Scientific  

/ rĕg′yə-lər /

1. Having all sides or faces equal. For example, a square is a regular polygon, and a cube is a regular polyhedron.

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-regular
  adjective
• quasi-regularly
  adverb
• regularity
  noun
• regularly
  adverb
• regularness
  noun
• subregular
  adjective
• subregularity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of regular

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English reguler (adjective) from Middle French, from Late Latin rēgulāris. See regula, -ar ¹

Explanation

The adjective regular is useful for describing something that happens in a specific way again and again, like your regular tasks at work. Things that occur in a particular order or a certain way can be called regular. You might have a regular group of patients you visit when you're volunteering at the hospital, or a roommate who insists on sitting down together for regular meals. The word regular comes from the Latin regularis, "continuing rules for guidance," which in turn has its roots in regula, or "rule."

Example Sentences

Regular contributions over the next 15 years can make all the difference to his retirement.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Regular bikes are already banned from anything designated as a “trail,” according to a city ordinance, but a spokesperson for Lee said e-bikes were a gray area that his proposal aims to address.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Regular IRAs have forced withdrawals beginning at age 73, and what you take out is taxed at income-tax rates up to 37%.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

Less nitrogen-sloshing would benefit the environment: Regular fertilizers like urea generate greenhouse-gas emissions and the soil runoff harms oceans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Regular little lovebirds when you was here before.

From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe

Related Words

• daily
• everyday
• formal
• legitimate
• ordinary
• proper
• routine
• traditional
• typical
• usual