Yes. It may not be a word that you like, or a word that you would use in a term paper, but irregardless certainly is a word. It has been in use for well over 200 years, employed by a large number of people across a wide geographic range and with a consistent meaning. That is why we, and well-nigh every other dictionary of modern English, define this word. Remember that a definition is not an endorsement of a word’s use.
Does irregardless mean the same thing as regardless?
Yes. We define irregardless as "regardless." Many people find irregardless to be a nonsensical word, as the ir- prefix usually functions to indicate negation; however, in this case it appears to function as an intensifier. Similar ir- words, while rare, do exist in English, including irremediless ("remediless"), irresistless ("resistless") and irrelentlessly ("relentlessly").
Is irregardless slang?
We label irregardless as “nonstandard” rather than “slang.” When a word is nonstandard it means it is “not conforming in pronunciation, grammatical construction, idiom, or word choice to the usage generally characteristic of educated native speakers of a language.” Irregardless is a long way from winning general acceptance as a standard English word. For that reason, it is best to use regardless instead.
Adverb
the weather looked bad, but they were resolved to go on with their picnic regardless
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
All the while, Campbell imbues each syllable with a sense of deep thought and consideration, as though Mara were constantly questioning her worst physical and emotional impulses, but submitting to them regardless.—Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2024 Samsung has always taken the same update approach, regardless.—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024 Piece By Piece, Smile 2, and a few others could break out and will regardless likely combine to help further elevate October a bit more.—Mark Hughes, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024 Editor's tip: Makeup artist Delina Medhin says that the hydrating formula is ideal for someone looking for minimal coverage, but her advice is to always moisturize regardless.—Sarah Han, Allure, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for regardless
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regardless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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