Everyday · Often misused · Talking & language
Irregardless: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Irregardless adverb. A non-standard form of regardless, meaning without paying attention to something.
How to say it
ir-ih-GARD-luss/ˌɪrɪˈɡɑːdləs/
4 syllables, stressed on the third (GARD).
Irregardless in a sentence
'Irregardless of the cost, we're going,' she said, and her editor winced.
Irregardless turns up in speech far more often than in print.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- regardless
- anyway
- notwithstanding
Careful
Dictionaries record irregardless, so it is a word, but they label it non-standard: its ir- and -less cancel each other out. In anything formal, use regardless.
Where irregardless comes from
Probably a blend of irrespective and regardless, first recorded in the United States in the early 1900s.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
_____ turns up in speech far more often than in print.
- irregardless
- literally
- presently
Show the answer
irregardless: Irregardless turns up in speech far more often than in print.