irregular

irregular
I. adjective Etymology: Middle English irreguler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin irregularis not in accordance with rule, from Latin in- + regularis regular Date: 14th century 1. a. not being or acting in accord with laws, rules, or established custom <
irregular conduct
>
b. not conforming to the usual pattern of inflection <
irregular verbs
>
; specifically strong 16 c. not following a usual or prescribed procedure; especially British celebrated without either proclamation of the banns or publication of intention to marry <
irregular marriage
>
2. not belonging to or a part of a regular organized group; specifically not belonging to a regular army but raised for a special purpose <
irregular troops
>
3. a. lacking perfect symmetry or evenness <
an irregular coastline
>
b. having one or more floral parts of the same whorl different in size, shape, or arrangement; specifically zygomorphic 4. lacking continuity or regularity especially of occurrence or activity <
irregular employment
>
irregularly adverb Synonyms: irregular, anomalous, unnatural mean not conforming to rule, law, or custom. irregular implies not conforming to a law or regulation imposed for the sake of uniformity in method, practice, or conduct <
concerned about his irregular behavior
>
. anomalous implies not conforming to what might be expected because of the class or type to which it belongs or the laws that govern its existence <
her drive made her an anomalous figure in a sleepy organization
>
. unnatural suggests what is contrary to nature or to principles or standards felt to be essential to the well-being of civilized society <
prisoners treated with unnatural cruelty
>
. II. noun Date: 15th century one that is irregular: as a. a soldier who is not a member of a regular military force b. plural merchandise that has minor defects or that falls next below the manufacturer's standard for firsts

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, a. [Pref. ir not + regular: cf. F. irr[ e]gulier.] Not regular; not conforming to a law, method, or usage recognized as the general rule; not according to common form; not conformable to nature, to the rules of moral rectitude, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • irregular — ir‧reg‧u‧lar [ɪˈregjlə ǁ ər] adjective not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rules: • There were some warning signals that something irregular was going on. • highly irregular trading activities irregularity noun [countable,… …   Financial and business terms

  • irregular — irregular, anomalous, unnatural mean outside the sphere of what conforms to or is explainable by law, rule, custom, or principle. Irregular implies failure to conform to a rule, a law, or a pattern, especially to one imposed for the sake of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • irregular — adjetivo 1. Área: gramática [Verbo, participio, conjugación] que no sigue la regla o norma general. 2. Que no es regular o uniforme: una respiración irregular. Era difícil andar porque el terreno era muy irregular. Tiene unos horarios muy… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • irregular — (Del lat. irregulāris). 1. adj. Que está fuera de regla. 2. Contrario a ella. 3. Que no observa siempre el mismo comportamiento, o no rinde del mismo modo. 4. Que no sucede común y ordinariamente. 5. Geom. Dicho de un polígono o de un poliedro:… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • irregular — [i reg′yə lər] adj. [ME < OFr irregulier < ML irregularis: see IN 2 & REGULAR] 1. not conforming to established rule, method, usage, standard, etc.; out of the ordinary; anomalous 2. not conforming to legal or moral requirements; lawless;… …   English World dictionary

  • irregular — ir·reg·u·lar /ir re gyə lər/ adj: not in accord with laws, rules, procedures, or established custom ir·reg·u·lar·ly adv Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. ir …   Law dictionary

  • irregular — [adj1] random, variable aberrant, aimless, capricious, casual, changeable, designless, desultory, disconnected, discontinuous, eccentric, erratic, faltering, fitful, fluctuating, fragmentary, haphazard, hit or miss*, inconstant, indiscriminate,… …   New thesaurus

  • irregulär — irregulär:1.⇨ungesetzlich–2.⇨ungewöhnlich irregulär 1.→gesetzwidrig 2.außerplanmäßig,regelwidrig,ungewöhnlich,unüblich,unregelmäßig,anormal,atypisch,abnorm …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • irregular — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not regular in shape, arrangement, or occurrence. 2) contrary to a rule, standard, or convention. 3) not belonging to regular army units. 4) Grammar (of a word) having inflections that do not conform to the usual rules. ► NOUN ▪ a… …   English terms dictionary

  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, n. One who is not regular; especially, a soldier not in regular service. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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