Meaning & use
irregularity
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountableformal
Something that does not follow the usual pattern, rule or expected order.
Grammar: Countable for a single case (an irregularity in the accounts), uncountable for the general quality.
Patterns
- an irregularity in something
The auditor found an irregularity in the accounts.
Teachers explained each irregularity in the spelling.
The irregularity of the bus schedule frustrated commuters.
nouncountable or uncountable
An uneven or unequal quality in shape, size or surface.
Grammar: Often plural when describing small bumps or flaws: surface irregularities.
Patterns
- irregularity in shape
The irregularity of the coastline makes it hard to map.
We sanded away the irregularities on the board.
Tiny irregularities in the glass bent the light.
nouncountable or uncountablemedical
A departure from the normal body function, such as an uneven heartbeat or irregular bowel habits.
Grammar: A medical use, often with of or in: heart rhythm irregularity.
Patterns
- irregularity in something
The doctor noticed an irregularity in her heartbeat.
He reported menstrual irregularity to the clinic.
Test results showed no irregularities.
Word forms
| plural | irregularities |
|---|
Common combinations
- financial irregularity
- The bank investigated a financial irregularity.
- detect an irregularity
- The scan can detect an irregularity in the heart.
- minor irregularity
- A minor irregularity delayed the vote count.
- voting irregularities
- Observers reported voting irregularities in some districts.
- irregularity in
- There is an irregularity in the pattern.
- grammatical irregularity
- English spelling is full of irregularity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anomaly
- Anomaly describes something that stands out as different from the norm, often in science, whereas irregularity can be small or rule-breaking.
- deviation
- Deviation focuses on the act of moving away from a standard or path rather than on the oddness of the thing.
- inconsistency
- Inconsistency is about things that do not match each other, while irregularity is about not following a pattern.
- unevenness
- Unevenness is about physical surfaces or rhythm and is less formal.
Opposites
Word family
- irregular adjective
- not following the usual pattern or rule
- irregularly adverb
- at uneven intervals or in an unusual way
- regular adjective
- following a steady pattern
- regularity noun
- the quality of being steady and even
Commonly confused: irregularity or irregularity vs. irregular? irregularity or irrelevance?
irregularity vs irregularity vs. irregular
Irregularity is the noun for the thing or quality, while irregular is the adjective, as in an irregular verb.
irregularity vs irrelevance
Irrelevance means not being connected to the topic, a completely different idea.
Practice
The accountant reported an ___ in the company's records after finding a missing payment.
Choose one answer.
An irregularity is something that breaks the expected pattern, like a missing payment. The other nouns suggest sameness or normality.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “irregularity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.