irregular adj

1 contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice; "irregular hiring practices" [ant: regular]

2 (of solids) not having clear dimensions that can be measured; volume must be determined with the principle of liquid displacement [ant: regular]

3 not occurring at expected times [syn: unpredictable]

4 used of the military; not belonging to or engaged in by regular army forces; "irregular troops"; "irregular warfare" [ant: regular]

5 deviating from what is usual or common or to be expected; often somewhat odd or strange; "these days large families are atypical"; "highly irregular behavior" [syn: atypical]

6 lacking continuity or regularity; "an irregular worker"; "employed on a temporary basis" [syn: temporary]

7 of a surface; not level or flat; "walking was difficult on the irregular cobblestoned surface"

8 used of independent armed resistance forces; "guerrilla warfare"; "partisan forces" [syn: guerrilla(a), guerilla(a), underground]

9 independent in behavior or thought; "she led a somewhat irregular private life"; "maverick politicians" [syn: maverick, unorthodox]

1 a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment [syn: guerrilla, guerilla, insurgent]

2 merchandise that has imperfections; usually sold at a reduced price without the brand name [syn: second]

English

Etymology

From irreguler < irregularis (in- + regularis).

Pronunciation

• a US /ɪˈrɛgjəlɚ/, /I"rEgj@l@`/

Adjective

1. something nonstandard; something that breaks the series

Antonyms

• regular

Derived terms

• irregular plural
• irregular verb

Translations

Something that is irregular does not follow the expected pattern. The term is used in many different fields, with quite different meanings.

• In astronomy, an astronomical object whose shape or behavior varies considerably from the archetype is called an irregular. This applies to irregular galaxy, irregular variable, asteroid, crater, orbit, planet, moon or natural satellite.

• In language, it is applied to a word that does not follow the most common rules of the language, such as irregular verb, plural or spelling. See irregularity (linguistics).

• In business, law, politics, science and related fields, an irregular procedure, typically called an irregularity, is an action that does not completely follow the agreed standards, though it does not violate them. By itself, a single irregularity is of little consequence, but when many irregularities occur together, they may be signs of hidden fraud, misconduct or malfeasance. See creative accounting and 2004 U.S. presidential election controversy and irregularities for examples.

• In manufacturing, an irregular is a product that does not meet the accepted levels of quality, but still available for sale, typically in outlet stores or secondary markets at a lower price.

• In military terms, an irregular is a soldier who is not part of the official regular army, or does not follow regular army tactics. See irregular military.

• In medicine, anything that does not follow the expected healthy pattern may be called irregular, such as irregular heartbeat or irregular menstrual cycle.

• In mathematics, something that falls below the definition of the perfect archetype may be called irregular, such as irregular prime, polygon or polyhedron. The irregularity is an invariant of algebraic surfaces.

• In chess, an opening that is little used and less studied is called an irregular chess opening.

See also

• Regular
• Anomaly
• Baker Street Irregulars
• Irregular Webcomic!
• Maverick (Mega Man)

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