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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word irregular distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words anomalous and unnatural are common synonyms of irregular. While all three words mean "not conforming to rule, law, or custom," irregular implies not conforming to a law or regulation imposed for the sake of uniformity in method, practice, or conduct.

concerned about his irregular behavior

When would anomalous be a good substitute for irregular?

Although the words anomalous and irregular have much in common, anomalous implies not conforming to what might be expected because of the class or type to which it belongs or the laws that govern its existence.

her drive made her an anomalous figure in a sleepy organization

When could unnatural be used to replace irregular?

The meanings of unnatural and irregular largely overlap; however, unnatural suggests what is contrary to nature or to principles or standards felt to be essential to the well-being of civilized society.

prisoners treated with unnatural cruelty

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 irregular
Adjective
Turkish troops then began shelling Kurdish towns in Syria, and Turkish forces pushed forward, irregulars executing people in ditches along the road. Time, 14 Nov. 2019 Pakistani irregulars invaded, India intervened, and the two countries fought to a stalemate. Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2019
Noun
Many countries in Europe - including the U.K. - have used such ‘scientific methods’ as x-rays of bone density to try to determine whether an asylum seeker or irregular migrant is a legal adult. Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025 The delicate fragments that Mr. Li and his team of conservators are refashioning have irregular edges and form no apparent border. New York Times, 22 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for irregular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irregular
Adjective
  • Retinopathy of prematurity is an eye disease that impacts premature babies and occurs when there is abnormal growth of the blood vessels in the retina.
    Ramal Nasim Updated July 14, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2025
  • This mutation produces an abnormal transthyretin (TTR) protein that misfolds and forms amyloid deposits in the heart.
    Patty Weasler, Verywell Health, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • However, reaching these outcomes takes more than just sporadic posts.
    Jonathan Schwartz, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
  • The monsoon season is now here and has brought deadly flash flooding along old burn scars in Ruidoso, New Mexico, while distributing sporadic rain in the state’s Gila National Forest.
    Abe Streep, ProPublica, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Long runs over uneven, rocky trail comes with its share of foot issues, but few sacrifices are greater than those poor keratin creatures attached to your precious foot fingers.
    Kade Krichko, Outside Online, 22 July 2025
  • Amid economic volatility and rapid technological change, access to financial planning remains deeply uneven.
    Matt Watson, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • Too informal with answers and language The team acknowledges that Gen Z’s use of slang is one of their defining traits.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
  • As Home Depot spread across America beginning in the 1980s, an informal economy of day laborers looking for work, mostly from Mexico and South America, grew around the company’s sprawling parking lots in cities and suburbs with large immigrant populations.
    Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
Adjective
  • Even if that means stepping into a version of themselves that feels unnatural.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • While some can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and concerns, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind.
    Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Ozzy also did his own occasional tours, including a stop at the Bradley Center on Dec. 14 of that year.
    Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 23 July 2025
  • Here, the car continues to be well-mannered, though the occasional dab for power triggers an overeager automatic into dropping a gear or two, sending the V12 into a fury.
    Alex Kalogiannis, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • The vastness of the canyon, with its jagged edges and rushing rivers.
    Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
  • Major stock indexes continued their jagged descent downward in morning trading Tuesday after tumbling Monday.
    Tobias Burns, The Hill, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • Often unconventional, like their Vantablack dials, Moser brings something fresh to the Canadian market, and its new POP collection amplifies this creative edge even further.
    Matthew Catellier, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
  • President Donald Trump has long flexed the power of the White House to insert himself into unconventional areas ‒ from the type of sugar in Coca-Cola to renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 23 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Irregular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irregular. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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