irregardless

English

Etymology

Probably a blend of irrespective +‎ regardless; surface analysis is ir- +‎ regardless, but it's possible that the prefix ir- was added to amplify the negative in regardless, as plain negatives did at that time (and still do in dialects).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈɡɑːd.lɪs/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈɡɑɹd.lɪs/

Adjective

irregardless (not comparable)

(proscribed, nonstandard, sometimes humorous) Regardless, irrespective.
Synonyms: irrespective, regardless
- 1875, Knights Templar (Masonic order) Reed Commandery, No. 6 (Dayton, Ohio), Grand Excursion to New Orleans
  Dear loved ones were unceremoniously hurried off home, irregardless to any previous arrangement, where they could sit down and recount the incidents of the trip to those who had been left behind
- 1898, John Murray, Memorials of John Murray of Broughton: Sometime Secretary to Prince Charles Edward, 1740-1747, page 160, printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society
  Mr. M^cg., far from being unsusceptable of flattery, irregardless of his own private interest, readily assented, and had a paper dictated to him to the following purpose:
- 1995 January, Katalin É. Kiss (editor), Discourse Configurational Languages, page 67, Oxford University Press, USA
  Object resumptive pronouns corresponding to arguments must always occur...irregardless of the presence and position of the full coindexed object nps.
- 2003 December 22, Judge Wallace, Jonathan C. Shaw v. Cal Terhune, No. 02-16829, U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  the crime by definition allowed for the prosecution of both defendants irregardless of which defendant physically pulled the trigger.
- 2004, Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners, Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey:
  Irregardless, ex-boyfriends are just off-limits to friends. I mean that's just, like, the rules of feminism.
- 2005 February, Karim Murji and John Solomos, Racialization: Studies In Theory And Practice, page 38, Oxford University Press
  Again following Runciman, whether we agree with the biological race concept or not, its continued formal and informal salience confirms that competing racial understandings exist irregardless of whether they are valid truths or subjective speculations.

Usage notes

Although well attested, this term is widely regarded as nonstandard and incorrect. Its use is discouraged by many speakers, who consider it inappropriate in virtually any formal setting.

Quotations

For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:irregardless.