Meaning & use
irrelevant
Last updated
UK/ɪˈreləvənt/
US/ɪˈreləvənt/
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having no connection with the subject being discussed or decided.
Grammar: Often followed by to: irrelevant to the case.
Patterns
- irrelevant to something
Your age is irrelevant to the decision.
The lawyer objected that the question was irrelevant.
adjectivecomparable
No longer useful or important in the modern world.
Grammar: After become or seem: become irrelevant.
Patterns
- become irrelevant
Many old rules have become irrelevant.
Without change, the company risks becoming irrelevant.
Word forms
| comparative | more irrelevant |
|---|---|
| superlative | most irrelevant |
Common combinations
- irrelevant to
- The detail is irrelevant to the case.
- largely irrelevant
- The point is largely irrelevant.
- become irrelevant
- Landlines have become irrelevant.
- completely irrelevant
- His comment was completely irrelevant.
Synonyms and how they differ
- immaterial
- More formal and legal in tone.
- beside the point
- A common phrase meaning the same.
- unrelated
- Simply not connected.
Opposites
Word family
- irrelevance noun
- lack of connection
- relevant adjective
- connected to the matter
Commonly confused: irrelevant or irreverent?
irrelevant vs irreverent
Irreverent means disrespectful.
Practice
The judge dismissed the lawyer's question as ___ to the case.
Choose one answer.
Irrelevant to means not connected. Irreverent means disrespectful.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “irrelevant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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