Word family noun regular regularity ≠ irregularity regularization adjective regular ≠ irregular verb regularize adverb regularly ≠ irregularly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishirregularir‧reg‧u‧lar1 /ɪˈreɡjələ $ -ər/ ●○○ adjective 1 Chaving a shape, surface, pattern etc that is not even, smooth, or balanced SYN uneven OPP regular a jagged, irregular coastline It has a highly irregular shape, covered in bumps and indentations.2 REGULARnot happening at times that are an equal distance from each other OPP regular He’s receiving medication for an irregular heartbeat. Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals.3 REGULARnot happening or done at the normal time for doing something OPP regular Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours.4 formalOBEY not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rules It would be highly irregular (=extremely irregular) for a minister to accept payments of this kind.5 → irregular verb/plural etc6 American EnglishMI a word meaning constipated (=unable to easily pass food waste from your body), used in order to be polite —irregularly adverb —irregularity /ɪˌreɡjəˈlærəti/ noun [countable, uncountable] The club were found guilty of financial irregularities.Examples from the Corpus
irregular• You learn how to generate nouns and verbs but Navajo is very irregular.• a large, irregularly shaped room• There was nothing irregular about the loan.• And the verse is accordingly irregular and gnarled and yet sappy, far more like growing timber than like steel rails.• Lake Powell's irregular coastline has many unspoiled beaches and secluded inlets.• I recognized the doctor's messy, irregular handwriting.• an irregular heartbeat• For many seasonal workers, the biggest drawback can be the irregular hours and erratic schedules.• Some weeks, I work long, irregular hours.• When we first entered the farm country, the beeps, sparse and irregular, jolted me.• irregular meals• Parental contact, though irregular, prevented the child from forming an alternative parent-child relationship.• Cruising underwater, you see pale outlines of the irregular sea bottom.• Jagged irregular vibrations up the line suggest gravel and stones, small regular vibes mean fine gravel or sand.• Washington, who survived the defeat, must have noted the possibilities for irregular warfare.at irregular intervals• I prayed she hadn't taken one of the narrow lanes that turned off at irregular intervals.• The shrieks continued at irregular intervals as the creature walked the woods.• Sisley was an Impressionist painter and exhibited in five of the eight Impressionist exhibitions held at irregular intervals between 1874 and 1886.• In order to escape payment Beamish fled the country and he only returned to Britain at irregular intervals from then on.• They were set at irregular intervals so that it was difficult to achieve any rhythm in the descent.irregular hours• College teachers may have unusual contracts of employment that means they often work irregular hours.• They were accustomed to his irregular hours.• Working Conditions Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours.• For many seasonal workers, the biggest drawback can be the irregular hours and erratic schedules.highly irregular• The clerk said this was highly irregular, but I insisted.• It was highly irregular, but it didn't matter.• The number of organisms increases and decreases in a highly irregular manner.• It has, however, a highly irregular shape with bulges and indentations of various sizes, as shown in Fig. 21.3.• In a number of clinical disorders the cell count is subject to periodic or highly irregular variation.irregularirregular2 noun [countable] PMAa soldier who is not an official member of a country’s armyExamples from the Corpus
irregular• The forces the government has are half-trained new soldiers and irregulars, including ex-rebels and ex-bandits.• They were and they must remain irregulars, to be disowned at need.From Longman Business Dictionaryirregularir‧reg‧u‧lar /ɪˈregjələ-ər/ adjective not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rulesThere were some warning signals that something irregular was going on.highly irregular trading activities —irregularity noun [countable, uncountable]A customer’s call alerted a bank clerk to accounting irregularities.In the legal profession, the smallest hint of irregularity cannot pass unnoticed. 