irrelevant

adjective

ir·​rel·​e·​vant i-ˈre-lə-vənt How to pronounce irrelevant (audio)
: not relevant : inapplicable
that statement is irrelevant to your argument
irrelevantly adverb

Examples of irrelevant in a Sentence

His comment is completely irrelevant. irrelevant questions that merely disrupted the classroom lesson
Recent Examples on the Web But a rigged contest marks the death of democracy and renders all the other essential pillars irrelevant, because the people no longer have a meaningful say over who governs. Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 The models embodied such an overwhelming faith in the potential for improvement that their lack of commercial success seemed almost irrelevant. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024 One is to pretend that the effects of global warming are irrelevant to the operations and the future of most businesses. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Amazon gets paid to show you irrelevant sandals in your search results. Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Utilizing smaller models and synthetic data generated from domain-specific data can help mitigate the risks associated with generative AI: high costs, regulatory compliance and irrelevant LLMs. Justin Davis, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 His appearances may be inaccurate or irrelevant or unhelpful to his legal defense. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 With an aging audience in decline, the familiar thrum of its potato-potato V-twin exhaust note was becoming irrelevant. Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 The frontman initially thought the producer would be irrelevant for this album because the band was on the same page. Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irrelevant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of irrelevant was in 1786

Dictionary Entries Near irrelevant

Cite this Entry

“Irrelevant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irrelevant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

irrelevant

adjective
ir·​rel·​e·​vant (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)el-ə-vənt How to pronounce irrelevant (audio)
: not relevant : not applicable or pertinent
the evidence presented was judged irrelevant to the case
irrelevance
-vən(t)s
noun
or irrelevancy
-vən-sē
irrelevantly adverb

Legal Definition

irrelevant

adjective
ir·​rel·​e·​vant ir-ˈre-lə-vənt How to pronounce irrelevant (audio)
: not relevant : not applicable or pertinent
irrelevant allegations
irrelevant evidence
compare immaterial
irrelevantly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on irrelevant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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