irregular

irregular
ir|reg|u|lar1 [ıˈregjulə US -ər] adj
1.) having a shape, surface, pattern etc that is not even, smooth, or balanced
= ↑uneven
≠ ↑regular
a jagged, irregular coastline
It has a highly irregular shape, covered in bumps and indentations.
2.) not happening at times that are an equal distance from each other
≠ ↑regular
He's receiving medication for an irregular heartbeat.
Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals .
3.) not happening or done at the normal time for doing something
≠ ↑regular
Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours .
4.) formal 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 etc
a verb or a form of a word that does not follow the usual pattern of grammar, such as the verb 'catch' or the plural 'fish'
≠ ↑regular
6.) AmE a word meaning constipated (=unable to easily pass food waste from your body) , used in order to be polite
>irregularly adv
>irregularity [ıˌregjuˈlærıti] n [U and C]
The club were found guilty of financial irregularities.
irregular 2
irregular2 n
a soldier who is not an official member of a country's army

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, a. [Pref. ir not + regular: cf. F. irr[ e]gulier.] Not regular; not conforming to a law, method, or usage recognized as the general rule; not according to common form; not conformable to nature, to the rules of moral rectitude, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • irregular — ir‧reg‧u‧lar [ɪˈregjlə ǁ ər] adjective not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rules: • There were some warning signals that something irregular was going on. • highly irregular trading activities irregularity noun [countable,… …   Financial and business terms

  • irregular — irregular, anomalous, unnatural mean outside the sphere of what conforms to or is explainable by law, rule, custom, or principle. Irregular implies failure to conform to a rule, a law, or a pattern, especially to one imposed for the sake of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • irregular — adjetivo 1. Área: gramática [Verbo, participio, conjugación] que no sigue la regla o norma general. 2. Que no es regular o uniforme: una respiración irregular. Era difícil andar porque el terreno era muy irregular. Tiene unos horarios muy… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • irregular — (Del lat. irregulāris). 1. adj. Que está fuera de regla. 2. Contrario a ella. 3. Que no observa siempre el mismo comportamiento, o no rinde del mismo modo. 4. Que no sucede común y ordinariamente. 5. Geom. Dicho de un polígono o de un poliedro:… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • irregular — [i reg′yə lər] adj. [ME < OFr irregulier < ML irregularis: see IN 2 & REGULAR] 1. not conforming to established rule, method, usage, standard, etc.; out of the ordinary; anomalous 2. not conforming to legal or moral requirements; lawless;… …   English World dictionary

  • irregular — ir·reg·u·lar /ir re gyə lər/ adj: not in accord with laws, rules, procedures, or established custom ir·reg·u·lar·ly adv Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. ir …   Law dictionary

  • irregular — [adj1] random, variable aberrant, aimless, capricious, casual, changeable, designless, desultory, disconnected, discontinuous, eccentric, erratic, faltering, fitful, fluctuating, fragmentary, haphazard, hit or miss*, inconstant, indiscriminate,… …   New thesaurus

  • irregulär — irregulär:1.⇨ungesetzlich–2.⇨ungewöhnlich irregulär 1.→gesetzwidrig 2.außerplanmäßig,regelwidrig,ungewöhnlich,unüblich,unregelmäßig,anormal,atypisch,abnorm …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • irregular — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not regular in shape, arrangement, or occurrence. 2) contrary to a rule, standard, or convention. 3) not belonging to regular army units. 4) Grammar (of a word) having inflections that do not conform to the usual rules. ► NOUN ▪ a… …   English terms dictionary

  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, n. One who is not regular; especially, a soldier not in regular service. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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