Main Entry: ¹reg·u·lar

Pronunciation: \ˈre-gyə-lər, ˈre-g(ə-)lər also ˈrā-\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English reguler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin regularis regular, from Latin, of a bar, from regula rule — more at rule

Date: 14th century

1 : belonging to a religious order
2 a : formed, built, arranged, or ordered according to some established rule, law, principle, or type b (1) : both equilateral and equiangular <a regular polygon> (2) : having faces that are congruent regular polygons and all the polyhedral angles congruent <a regular polyhedron> c of a flower : having the arrangement of floral parts exhibiting radial symmetry with members of the same whorl similar in form
3 a : orderly, methodical <regular habits> b : recurring, attending, or functioning at fixed, uniform, or normal intervals <a regular income> <a regular churchgoer> <regular bowel movements>
4 a : constituted, conducted, scheduled, or done in conformity with established or prescribed usages, rules, or discipline b : normal, standard: as (1) : absolute, complete <a regular fool> <the office seemed like a regular madhouse> (2) : thinking or behaving in an acceptable, normal, or agreeable manner <was a regular guy> c (1) : conforming to the normal or usual manner of inflection (2) : weak 7 d of a postage stamp : issued in large numbers over a long period for general use in prepayment of postage
5 : of, relating to, or constituting the permanent standing military force of a state <the regular army> <regular soldiers>

synonyms regular, normal, typical, natural mean being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average. regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern <the club's regular monthly meeting>. normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected <normal behavior for a two-year-old>. typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality <a typical small town>. natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being <the natural love of a mother for her child>.