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 weather’s getting warmer in Montreal, playoff weather, a time of year this group is used to looking for external, irrelevant sources of motivation to play out the string. —Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025

Too long to weed through red herrings and convolutions in the mystery that eventually border on irrelevant. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025

This often led to impersonal, irrelevant recommendations. —WWD, 11 Mar. 2025

The public wants the economy humming, the border secure, and an end to woke lunacy — not tariffs and irrelevant indulgences. —Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 11 Mar. 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