Irregardless
Irregardless is not a word. I often hear people use "irregardless" when they mean "regardless."
Regardless, according to dictionary.com means:
1. having or showing no regard; heedless; unmindful (often fol. by of).
–adverb
2. without concern as to advice, warning, hardship, etc.; anyway: I must make the decision regardless. —Idiom
3. regardless of, in spite of; without regard for: They'll do it regardless of the cost.
The prefix "ir" is put in front of words to show a negative, such as in irresponsible and irrelevant. "Regardless" already means "showing no regard," so if you were to put an "ir" in front of it, it would change the meaning to the same as "regard."
But at any rate, it is a non-standard word, and the word regardless is the one that ought to be used.
F, H & S Part Two Continued Again
3 years ago
6 comments:
Yes, Yes, Yes!!! That is my #1 pet peeve word! Good on ya, Missy!
"Irregardless" must be right up there with "unthaw", another word made up to drive English professors crazy. My husband asked me to "unthaw" him a steak. I said "sure" and put it back in the freezer for him.
I was trying to think, wasn't Major Dad the show with the character that used the word irregardless all the time? While it may not be in the dictionary, it's one of those great words that's fun to keep around for character development. Some characters need a little extra.
Aiyyeee-yes! Nearly as bad as "being as" instead of since. You've probably already talked about that one and I missed it...
I'm new to your blog you know, so I'm just seeing your Misused Words posts-I think I'm going to like it here :~)
Timothy--
As long as you're only using it for character development, and assuming the character is reasonably uneducated, I'll let it slide. :)
Holly--
Good news! Misused Word of the Week is a new feature--you've only missed one! "Covet."
I think "irregardless" came about because people were mashing together "irrespective" and "regardless". The meanings are slightly different, and I'm not gonna bother looking either one up right now, but I think you're right -- in the vast majority of cases, people mean "regardless".
There's a phrase that I don't mind people using in casual conversation, but should be verboten in writing: "seeing as how"
(I don't think I can even comment on that any further.)
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