irrelevant
Americanadjective
-
not relevant; not applicable or pertinent.
His lectures often stray to interesting but irrelevant subjects.
-
Law. (of evidence) having no probative value upon any issue in the case.
adjective
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of irrelevant , as , as if spelled irrevelant, is the result of metathesis, the transposition of two sounds, in this case, the and the . 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 and consonant sounds, althought not a strict one-to-one metathesis, can be heard for Calvary when pronounced . Here the transposition is reinforced by the existence of the familiar word cavalry.
Other Word Forms
- irrelevance noun
- irrelevantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of irrelevant
First recorded in 1780–90
Explanation
If you're talking about hockey and someone keeps trying to mention football, you might describe their comments as irrelevant. Irrelevant means not related to the subject at hand. If a rock star becomes irrelevant, it means people are not relating––or even listening––to his music anymore. It isn't part of what people are thinking or talking about. The opposite is relevant, meaning related. An analysis of brush strokes in Manet's painting would be relevant to a discussion of texture in painting in general. Relevant was borrowed from Medieval Latin relevare "to bear upon," from Latin, "to lift up." The prefix ir-, meaning "not," is a variant of in- before words that begin with the letter r.
Vocabulary lists containing irrelevant
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Keystone Exams: English Composition Glossary
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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.
Real-life market competition does so in part because it is global—it is possible to become the richest person in the world, and everybody will know who you are—and in part because history is irrelevant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Some of the world’s richest nations and their talented engineers are poring over alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, seriously discussing land routes that could make Iran’s hold on the narrow sea passage irrelevant.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
If the past 20 years have rendered fear irrelevant, could risk be mispriced?
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
Romeyn is accused of submitting irrelevant and nonexistent citations in an October 2025 filing for a personal injury case in Orange County Superior Court.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
Cremonini went on to publish a lengthy book on the heavens in which no mention was made of Galileo’s discoveries, for the simple reason that they were irrelevant to the task of reconstructing Aristotle’s thinking.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
