irregularity
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being irregular.
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something irregular.
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a breach of rules, customs, etiquette, morality, etc.
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occasional mild constipation.
noun
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the state or quality of being irregular
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something irregular, such as a bump in a smooth surface
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a breach of a convention or normal procedure
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of irregularity
1275–1325; Middle English irregularite < Old French < Medieval Latin irrēgulāritās. See ir- 2, regularity ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
"The examination of the documents confirmed doubts about the irregularity of the flag being flown," the prefecture said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Nature herself is more than shapeless irregularity; the woods have glades and groves, animal trails and vistas; like literature, they have rising and falling action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
She insists she has not committed "the slightest irregularity".
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
An irregularity could get Marlowe fired, never mind that the camera also logged hours and hours of labor violations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
As she drew nearer, an irregularity in the surface of the ancient glass foreshortened her image and she confronted the child of fifteen years before.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following mass youth-led protests over college entrance exam irregularities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Tens of thousands of young people had been demonstrating in Delhi, demanding Pradhan resign after exam paper leaks and testing irregularities.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
A series of exam irregularities in India have undermined trust in the testing system, including the leak of a medical entrance question paper that forced more than two million candidates to retake the test.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
When Dornan ran again in 1998, with volunteers vowing to pursue any election irregularities, Sanchez walloped him, and he was swept into the dustbin of political history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
In addition to the legal irregularities, I was also unaware of many other troubling aspects of my care.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
