irrelevant

adjective

ir·​rel·​e·​vant i-ˈre-lə-vənt 

: not relevant : inapplicable

that statement is irrelevant to your argument

irrelevantly adverb

Synonyms

• extraneous
• immaterial
• impertinent
• inapplicable
• inapposite
• irrelative

Examples of irrelevant in a Sentence

His comment is completely irrelevant.

irrelevant questions that merely disrupted the classroom lesson

Recent Examples on the Web

The rationale is straightforward: like early-stage startups in the dot-com era, some of these assets may eventually prove valuable, whereas many others will likely become irrelevant. —Christian Catalini, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025

What’s practical for one person may be irrelevant for another. —Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025

Perhaps Henry got tired of the Red Sox being irrelevant. —Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2025

This backstage drama is intriguing, but mostly irrelevant to the story of Flack’s recording, which quickly became one of the biggest and best (and most celebrated) singles of its era. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for irrelevant

• relevant

Kids Definition

irrelevant

adjective

ir·​rel·​e·​vant (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)el-ə-vənt 

: not relevant : not applicable or pertinent

the evidence presented was judged irrelevant to the case

irrelevance

-vən(t)s

noun

or irrelevancy

-vən-sē

irrelevantly adverb

Legal Definition

irrelevant

adjective

ir·​rel·​e·​vant ir-ˈre-lə-vənt 

: not relevant : not applicable or pertinent

irrelevant allegations

irrelevant evidence

compare immaterial

irrelevantly adverb