irrelevant

American  

[ih-rel-uh-vuhnt] / ɪˈrɛl ə vənt /

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.

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irrelevant British  

/ ɪˈrɛləvənt /

adjective

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

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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

This was a sport that everyone loved to pick on for being increasingly irrelevant, and now we’re arguing about a ridiculous non-event before the schedule has started.

From The Wall Street Journal

The country has, in particular, used the sort of bullet-based systems for short distances that were long thought to have been rendered irrelevant by missile defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the related but perhaps irrelevant question of individual character, the evidence is clear: Wilhelm II was an unstable and vainglorious idiot who wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

From Salon

That question is almost irrelevant in the long run, because he does not think that way.

From Salon

But in the long term, it may be irrelevant.

From Barron's

Related Words

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