regardless

1 of 2

adverb

re·​gard·​less ri-ˈgärd-ləs 

: despite everything

went ahead with their plans regardless

regardless

2 of 2

adjective

: heedless, careless

regardlessly adverb

regardlessness noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is irregardless a word?

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.

Synonyms

Adverb

• anyhow
• anyway
• anyways [chiefly dialect]
• whatever

Examples of regardless in a Sentence

Adverb

the weather looked bad, but they were resolved to go on with their picnic regardless

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

However, heavy rain is likely to cause flooding in parts of southeastern Mexico and southern Texas regardless in the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2024

The point of the movie was to reconnect and rebuild this home that had been wrecked, but everyone wants to take a side regardless. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2024

In the meantime, Ascension is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft services to any user who requests it, regardless if their data was stolen or not. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 14 June 2024

The Apple Pencil Pro, second-gen Apple Pencil, and USB-C Apple Pencil at the least should work on all of Apple's current lineup, regardless if certain functions are not available. —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 8 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

1872, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1578, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing regardless

• regardless of

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Kids Definition

regardless

1 of 2 adjective

re·​gard·​less ri-ˈgärd-ləs 

: having or taking no regard : heedless, careless

regardless of what might happen

regardless

2 of 2 adverb

: in spite of everything