irrelevant

[ih-rel-uh-vuhnt]

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.

irrelevant

/ ɪˈrɛləvənt /

adjective

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

Pronunciation Note

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

• irrelevantly adverb
• irrelevance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of irrelevant¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

I recommend looking at your settings every month or two—not just to update your instructions or cull irrelevant memories but also to look for new settings to tweak.

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Agricultural land and land reform remain a big deal in the poorer parts of the planet, but actual acreage becomes increasingly irrelevant as societies acquire wealth.

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While largely irrelevant to Porsche’s buyers, these figures have a real bearing on profitability in major markets.

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The Fed said quantitative easing would stoke inflation when doing so was the Fed’s goal, but now claims its decision to maintain a large balance sheet is irrelevant to inflation.

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This doesn’t mean the history, tradition and sense of place Mr. Vance stresses are irrelevant, only that most Americans see the shared creedal affirmation as an indispensable element of America’s civic identity.

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Related Words

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