irrelevant

adjective

ir·​rel·​e·​vant i-ˈre-lə-vənt 

: not relevant : inapplicable

that statement is irrelevant to your argument

irrelevantly adverb

Synonyms

• meaningless
• immaterial
• inapplicable
• extraneous
• useless
• inappropriate
• impertinent
• beside the point
• inapposite
• irrelative

Examples of irrelevant in a Sentence

His comment is completely irrelevant.

irrelevant questions that merely disrupted the classroom lesson

Recent Examples on the Web

Geography becomes irrelevant when AI handles the grunt work. —Steven Wolfe Pereira, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025

Talking about Linux in this context is pretty irrelevant anyways, since the Xbox consoles run a variant of Windows. —Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 1 July 2025

Each cancer journey is different, and others' stories can be irrelevant or trigger fears. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 July 2025

Although some analysts argue that the NPT was already irrelevant to Iran, given Tehran’s extensive nuclear projects over the years, the country’s violations of the treaty provided the legal justification necessary for the UN Security Council’s Iran sanctions. —Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 26 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for irrelevant

• relevant

Kids Definition

irrelevant

adjective

ir·​rel·​e·​vant (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)el-ə-vənt 

: 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 

: not relevant : not applicable or pertinent

irrelevant allegations

irrelevant evidence

compare immaterial

irrelevantly adverb