irrelevant

adjective

i-ˈre-lə-vənt How to pronounce irrelevant (audio)
Definition of irrelevantnext
as in meaningless
not having anything to do with the matter at hand irrelevant questions that merely disrupted the classroom lesson

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of irrelevant Although the city submitted the Sacramento Police Department’s homeless encampment sweep guidelines to the court, Lau wrote that the document was, to some degree, irrelevant to the case at hand. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026 Horowitz said Lunas Campos’ criminal history is irrelevant to his detention. — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026 The Fan Footage Is What Counts Your concert experience is almost irrelevant. — Jesse Kirshbaum, SPIN, 3 July 2026 By the early twentieth century, lawyers and judges considered natural law to be irrelevant to the legal system, and the language all but disappeared from legal arguments and decisions. — Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for irrelevant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrelevant
  1. meaningless
  2. immaterial
  3. inapplicable
  4. extraneous
  5. useless
  6. inappropriate
  7. impertinent
  8. inapposite
Adjective
  • One sure focus is the rampant grade inflation that exaggerates student achievement and has made graduating high school close to meaningless as an indicator of college preparedness.
    — U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2026
  • This distinction between meaningful and meaningless data evokes signal versus noise, a communication concept formulated by the mathematician Claude Shannon.
    — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of meaningless
Adjective
  • The money, in Gupta’s view, is immaterial.
    — April Long, Allure, 24 June 2026
  • The fact that it was conceived without thought and for decades was produced and consumed without thought is immaterial.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 20 June 2026
Definition of immaterial
Adjective
  • The LLCs contested, arguing the alter ego finding was inapplicable and Illinois law didn't permit such piercing in supplementary proceedings.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • In a recent conversation with Peter Diamandis, an entrepreneur and executive chairman of the XPrize Foundation, Musk fleshed out his moonshot visions for the future, which have previously included work being completely optional and retirement becoming inapplicable.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Definition of inapplicable
Adjective
  • Since these plants stop growing at a certain point (usually before 4 feet), all of their energy is directed into producing more leaves, blooms, and fruit, not extraneous stems or suckers.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
  • Still, Copilot is going through a reset, with Andreou eliminating extraneous versions of the AI tool and merging the teams that focused on consumer and enterprise versions of the product.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 27 June 2026
Definition of extraneous
Adjective
  • What remains that haven’t been scavenged have decomposed to the point where DNA analysis is difficult and all but useless in Gaza, where there are no functioning laboratories able to test and compare samples.
    — Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Jennifer, for her part, is pretty sure that the information on Dennis’s burner phone is completely useless.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 8 July 2026
Definition of useless
Adjective
  • But does that in itself tell us that Bellingham’s comments were somehow wrong or inappropriate?
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • The archdiocese also continues to investigate former Bishop Miege President Phil Baniewicz, who was ousted last August after allegations surfaced about inappropriate behavior with a minor.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • Some Percy Jackson fans are acting quite impertinent.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
  • That your answer is not believed by these nosy, impertinent people is insulting.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 19 Dec. 2025
Definition of impertinent
Adjective
  • That principle is inapposite when a limited liability company has only one member.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • The Supreme Court indeed raised Flood and explained the cases were, at best, inapposite.
    — Marc Edelman, Forbes, 21 June 2021
Definition of inapposite

Browse Nearby Words

irrelevancy
irrelevant
irrelevantly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Irrelevant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrelevant. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of irrelevant for Spanish Speakers

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