irrelevance

American  

[ih-rel-uh-vuhns] / ɪˈrɛl ə vəns /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being irrelevant.

2. an irrelevant thing, act, etc.

---

Etymology

Origin of irrelevance

1840–50; ir- ² + relevance ( def. ); see relevant ( def. )

Explanation

Irrelevance represents what is NOT at all important to what’s going on right now. Anything that distracts you from this sentence is clearly an example of irrelevance. The Latin root word for irrelevance is relevare, which means “raising up.” The prefix ir- means “not,” therefore if a situation does not relate to or raise your interest, it’s irrelevant. In a courtroom, lawyers who lose sight of their case argue about irrelevances, and your sister speaks with irrelevance when she wakes you up to talk about rainbows. It’s always best to focus on important things, but irrelevance now and then won’t kill you.

Example Sentences

On social-media platforms like X, some investors have loudly proclaimed that after years of serving as the dominant cryptocurrency, bitcoin might finally be lurching toward irrelevance.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Or they retreated, following Macdonald’s advice, into social irrelevance by adopting dead-end pseudo-philosophies like deconstructionism.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

"The alternative is really not purity, but irrelevance," he said.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Boatwright would be wise to heed this history and either take Chipotle into new frontiers or prepare for its inevitable irrelevance.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

I resigned myself to irrelevance and watched the crowded bazaar.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri