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
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.
For Chevron investors, Venezuela is best understood as potentially valuable if politics shift and capital can return, but largely irrelevant to near-term earnings, dividends, or buybacks.
From Barron's
Most EVs—and certainly $100,000 luxury SUVs—will be charged almost exclusively at home, in scenarios that make maximum range and charging rates practically irrelevant.
One senior lawyer told us “AI can’t handle advanced reasoning. It is irrelevant to our work.”
From Barron's
But if your business hits a home run and has explosive growth, dollar limits on exemptions may be irrelevant and you would want to exempt 10 times your cost basis, Brady says.
From Barron's
That means what Nick Reiner might stand to inherit, if the slayer rule were to prove irrelevant in this case, is unknown.
From Salon
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.
