Is irregardless a real word? (2024)

Is irregardless a real word?

Webster has a good answer to this old question: 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.

Is it correct to use irregardless?

Yes, irregardless is recognized by many dictionaries as a real word. And although recent online discourse may make it appear that this word is a new development, it's not. In fact, it was added to Merriam-Webster's unabridged edition back in 1934, and it has been in use for centuries.

Is irregardless a double negative?

The ir- prefix means “not,” and if you add it to a word that already means “without regard,” you get “not without regard.” This double negative is what makes irregardless a mess of a word, and an insult to the army of people who are passionate about English vocabulary.

When was irregardless added to the dictionary?

In reality, irregardless is used as a synonym of regardless. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), irregardless was first acknowledged in 1912 by the Wentworth American Dialect Dictionary as originating from western Indiana, though the word was in use in South Carolina before Indiana became a territory.

What is the correct form of irregardless?

adverb. ir·​re·​gard·​less ˌir-i-ˈgärd-ləs. nonstandard. : regardless.

Why do people use irregardless?

Merriam-Webster defines irregardless as "nonstandard" but meaning the same as "regardless." "Many people find irregardless to be a nonsensical word, as the ir- prefix usually functions to indicates negation; however, in this case it appears to function as an intensifier," the dictionary writes.

Is Supposably a word?

So in summation: supposably is a word, it has a meaning (“as may be conceived or imagined”) that is distinct from most uses of supposedly, but most people who use it nowadays might be better served by using supposedly instead.

Is irregardless a valid Scrabble word?

According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the American Heritage Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster's, irregardless is a word. It means (drum roll, please) regardless. That's not to say that it's a good word. All three dictionaries call it nonstandard.

What is the fancy word for double negative?

Stylistically, in English, double negatives can sometimes be used for affirmation (e.g. "I'm not feeling unwell"), an understatement of the positive ("I'm feeling well"). The rhetorical term for this is litotes.

Is irregardless a portmanteau?

a semiliterate portmanteau word from irrespective and regardless, should have been stamped out long ago. But it's common enough in speech that it has found its way into all manner of print sources—e.g.:... ... Abbreviations.

What is the longest word in the world?

The longest word in any of the major English language dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters), a word that refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano; medically, it is the same as silicosis.

When was the F word added to the dictionary?

The F-word in the dictionary

The F-word was recorded in a dictionary in 1598 (John Florio's A Worlde of Wordes, London: Arnold Hatfield for Edw. Blount). It is remotely derived from the Latin futuere and Old German ficken/f*cken meaning 'to strike or penetrate', which had the slang meaning to copulate.

What is the difference between the word regardless and irregardless?

Key Takeaways: Irregardless is a non-standard word that is considered informal and unnecessary. Regardless is the standard term, meaning something not dependent on current circ*mstances. Irregardless is predominantly used in informal contexts, while regardless can be used in both formal and informal settings.

What is the correct form of lazy?

adjective,la·zi·er, la·zi·est. averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent. causing idleness or indolence: a hot, lazy afternoon.

What is the root of the word irregardless?

Irregardless has a prefix (ir), a main root (regard),* and a suffix (less). “Regard” in this form is an adverb, which is a word that modifies or clarifies the meaning of a verb, adjective, or another adverb. “Less” is a suffix meaning “without” or “not having.” So the prefix and suffix mean the same thing.

Is there a word irrespective?

The adverb irrespective means regardless or in spite, and it is almost always followed by the word "of." Irrespective of your desire to stay inside on a bitterly cold day, the dog still needs to be walked. Irrespective is a combination of the Latin roots ir, meaning not, and respectivus, meaning having regard for.

Is there such a word as Unthaw?

Introducing my favorite word in the English language, “*nthaw” has two meanings; 1) to thaw and 2) to freeze.

Is blathe a real word?

The only known use of the verb blathe is in the mid 1600s. OED's only evidence for blathe is from 1640, in the writing of John Gower. blathe is perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: blather, blether v.

Is it cheating to use a dictionary when playing Scrabble?

You are not allowed to consult a dictionary in order to spell your own word correctly. That, according to the rules, is indeed cheating. The game requires you to do this from memory. The use of a dictionary is when someone challenges your spelling as incorrect.

Is YEET a real word?

What to Know. Yeet is a slang word that functions broadly with the meaning “to throw,” but is especially used to emphasize forcefulness and a lack of concern for the thing being thrown.

Is it correct to say supposedly or supposingly?

If something is assumed to be true, use supposedly with a form of to be. For example, “He is supposedly the smartest boy in the class.” If something is simply possible, use supposably with a modal verb that indicates doubt. For example, “He might supposably be the smartest boy in the class.”

Is grammatically a real word?

"Grammatically" is the proper term (since the 16th century). While we're on this, "grammaticalness" is also a correct noun (per 1979 Collins dictionary, and 1988 Webster's). Updated 28 March 2015 to add: "Grammaticality" is a legitimate word since the mid-1960s and in all the major dictionaries.

Can you use ZZZ in Scrabble?

There are more words that don't contain vowels than you think, especially because Y isn't considered one in Scrabble. Words like zzz and hm are fair game.

Are any words banned in Scrabble?

More than 400 terms including racial slurs, sexuality and gender insults were taken off Scrabble's official online words list. While Scrabble's owner Mattel has not released an official list of words banned, the company's global head of games, Ray Adler, said they look at “opportunities to be more culturally relevant.”

What is the longest legal word in Scrabble?

Any 15-letter word is the longest possible scrabble word, as that's the size of the board. The highest scoring word possible, to my knowledge, is oxyphenbutazone, along any edge of the board, for a triple triple triple. Purely theoretically, as it's never been played, it would be worth 1,751 points.