irrespective
Americanadjective
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irrespective
First recorded in 1630–40; ir- 2 + respective
Explanation
The adverb irrespective means regardless or in spite, and it is almost always followed by the word "of." Irrespective of your desire to stay inside on a bitterly cold day, the dog still needs to be walked. Irrespective is a combination of the Latin roots ir, meaning not, and respectivus, meaning having regard for. The word irrespective is sometimes confused with its synonym regardless, giving rise in the early 20th century to the nonstandard word irregardless, which is considered an error by most grammarians, irrespective of how many people use irregardless in their everyday speech.
Vocabulary lists containing irrespective
Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
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Fences
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This Side of Wild
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Your question is timely, irrespective of the answer being “don’t do it!”
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
South Africa's acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia also condemned the acts, saying that "no individual or group has the authority to take the law into their own hands, irrespective of grievances or frustrations".
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
First, he pointed to deleveraging that often takes place in an asset in which investors have ample profits, irrespective of its fundamental drivers.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
"This is an example of what we would like to be doing, to be able to do this year-round, irrespective of the crisis that is going on," Smith added.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
“It would be very nice if we could make a decision irrespective of football,” said school board member Lee Buice, “but that may be where the gauntlet is thrown.”
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
