irrelevant

[ ih-rel-uh-vuhnt ]
See synonyms for irrelevant on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of irrelevant

1
First recorded in 1780–90

pronunciation note For irrelevant

The pronunciation of irrelevant [ih-rel-uh-vuhnt], /ɪˈrɛl ə vənt/, as [ih-rev-uh-luhnt], /ɪˈrɛv ə lənt/, as if spelled irrevelant, is the result of metathesis, the transposition of two sounds, in this case, the [l] /l/ and the [v]. /v/. 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 [l] /l/ and [v] /v/ consonant sounds, althought not a strict one-to-one metathesis, can be heard for Calvary [kal-vuh-ree] /ˈkæl və ri/ when pronounced [kav-uhl-ree]. /ˈkæv əl ri/. Here the transposition is reinforced by the existence of the familiar word cavalry.

Other words from irrelevant

  • ir·rel·e·vant·ly, adverb

Words Nearby irrelevant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use irrelevant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for irrelevant

irrelevant

/ (ɪˈrɛləvənt) /


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

Derived forms of irrelevant

  • irrelevance or irrelevancy, noun
  • irrelevantly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012