From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Colours & sounds, Illness & disabilityirregularir‧reg‧u‧lar1 /ɪˈreɡjələ $ -ər/ ●○○ adjective1Chaving a shape, surface, pattern etc that is not even, smooth, or balancedSYN unevenOPP regular
a jagged, irregular coastline
It has a highly irregular shape, covered in bumps and indentations.2REGULARnot happening at times that are an equaldistance from each otherOPP regular
He’s receiving medication for an irregular heartbeat.
Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals.3REGULARnot happening or done at the normal time for doing somethingOPP regular
Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours.4formalOBEY not obeying the usually acceptedlegal or moral rules
It would be highly irregular (=extremely irregular) for a minister to accept payments of this kind.5 →irregular verb/plural etc6American EnglishMI a word meaning constipated (=unable to easily pass food waste from your body), used in order to be polite —irregularly adverb —irregularity /ɪˌreɡjəˈlærəti/ noun [countable, uncountable]
The club were found guilty of financial irregularities.Examples from the Corpusirregular• You learn how to generatenouns and verbs but Navajo is very irregular.• a large, irregularly shaped room• There was nothing irregular about the loan.• And the verse is accordingly irregular and gnarled and yet sappy, far more like growing timber than like steelrails.• Lake Powell's irregularcoastline has many unspoiledbeaches and secluded inlets.• I recognized the doctor's messy, irregular handwriting.• an irregularheartbeat• For many seasonalworkers, the biggest drawback can be the irregular hours and erraticschedules.• Some weeks, I work long, irregular hours.• When we first entered the farm country, the beeps, sparse and irregular, jolted me.• irregularmeals• Parentalcontact, though irregular, prevented the child from forming an alternative parent-child relationship.• Cruisingunderwater, you see paleoutlines of the irregularseabottom.• Jagged irregularvibrations up the line suggestgravel and stones, small regular vibes mean fine gravel or sand.• Washington, who survived the defeat, must have noted the possibilities for irregularwarfare.at irregular intervals• I prayed she hadn't taken one of the narrowlanes that turned off at irregular intervals.• The shrieks continued at irregular intervals as the creature walked the woods.• Sisley was an Impressionistpainter and exhibited in five of the eight Impressionist exhibitions held at irregular intervals between 1874 and 1886.• In order to escapepayment Beamish fled the country and he only returned to Britain at irregular intervals from then on.• They were set at irregular intervals so that it was difficult to achieve any rhythm in the descent.irregular hours• Collegeteachers may have unusualcontracts of employment that means they often work irregular hours.• They were accustomed to his irregular hours.• Working Conditions Funeraldirectors often work long, irregular hours.• For many seasonal workers, the biggest drawback can be the irregular hours and erratic schedules.highly irregular• The clerk said this was highly irregular, but I insisted.• It was highly irregular, but it didn't matter.• The number of organisms increases and decreases in a highly irregularmanner.• It has, however, a highly irregular shape with bulges and indentations of varioussizes, as shown in Fig. 21.3.• In a number of clinicaldisorders the cellcount is subject to periodic or highly irregularvariation.Related topics: Armyirregularirregular2 noun [countable]PMAa soldier who is not an official member of a country’s armyExamples from the Corpusirregular• The forces the government has are half-trained new soldiers and irregulars, including ex-rebels and ex-bandits.• They were and they must remain irregulars, to be disowned at need.From Longman Business Dictionaryirregularir‧reg‧u‧lar /ɪˈregjələ-ər/ adjectivenot obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rulesThere were some warning signals that something irregular was going on.highly irregular trading activities —irregularity noun [countable, uncountable]A customer’s call alerted a bank clerk to accounting irregularities.In the legal profession, the smallest hint of irregularity cannot pass unnoticed.
