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 Catherine and Alice are such complicated figures that the word likable seems irrelevant to them. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026 The police will have to disclose only reports of crimes that took place on the campus itself, and not reports concerning burglary, larceny and other offenses, which the judge deemed irrelevant. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026 Mental health providers dismissed her autism diagnosis as an irrelevant detail. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington then moved for a mistrial, arguing that her religion had been repeatedly brought up in witnesses testimony despite being irrelevant to the case. — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 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
  • The grand scale of cosmic time reminds her (and us) that social mores and strictures are tiny, meaningless things, that what matters is passion and freedom.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The world’s increasingly pro-Chinese attitude is not meaningless.
    — Adam Y. Liu, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of meaningless
Adjective
  • The space will become an immaterial garden with intricate cutouts creating shadows, reflections and transparency for viewing the jewelry creations.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But that doesn’t mean what happens along the way is immaterial.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of immaterial
Adjective
  • But Dwyer suggests that, in practice, the medical model is often simply inapplicable to people with high support needs.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2026
  • False endorsement and misappropriation, FanDuel could insist, are inapplicable to a personalized video setting where the video’s talent voluntarily assents in exchange for compensation.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of inapplicable
Adjective
  • Howard said there was a large volume of character, reputation, and extraneous information related to the Metcalfs.
    — CBS Texas Staff, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Judges should consider voluntary surrender for low-risk individuals who have demonstrated compliance, ensuring punishment aligns with the court's order without adding extraneous suffering.
    — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of extraneous
Adjective
  • Darth Vader sports useless tape recorder-style buttons on his chest plate.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • David Shnaiderov, who directs the Nuclear Quantum division at Quantum X Labs, pointed out that simulating particle transport is useless without a practical way to represent real physical shapes.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of useless
Adjective
  • From the seasonally inappropriate hot springs of Beitou to the glossy, souvenir-flogging halls of Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the plot of this coming-of-age story doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable realities of traveling abroad.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Within minutes, the profile received follow requests, inappropriate direct messages and lewd video calls from adult men.
    — Titania Jordan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • The Tarrant County decorum policy prohibits personal attacks, impertinent, profane, obscene, or slanderous remarks as well as threatening, disruptive or unruly behavior.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Some Percy Jackson fans are acting quite impertinent.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
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 13 Sep. 2026.

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