irregularir‧reg‧u‧lar1 /ɪˈreɡjələ $ -ər/ ●○○ adjective 
a jagged, irregular coastline It has a highly irregular shape, covered in bumps and indentations.2not happening at times that are an equal distance from each other OPP regular: He’s receiving medication for an irregular heartbeat. Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals.3not happening or done at the normal time for doing something OPP regular: Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours.4formal not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rules: It would be highly irregular (=extremely irregular) for a minister to accept payments of this kind.5irregular verb/plural etc a verb or a form of a word that does not follow the usual pattern of grammar, such as the verb ‘catch’ or the plural ‘fish’ OPP regular6American English 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 OTHER DICTIONARIES
- irregular meals
- a large, irregularly shaped room
- an irregular heartbeat
- I recognized the doctor's messy, irregular handwriting.
- Lake Powell's irregular coastline has many unspoiled beaches and secluded inlets.
- Some weeks, I work long, irregular hours.
- 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 steel rails.
- Cruising underwater, you see pale outlines of the irregular sea bottom.
- For many seasonal workers, the biggest drawback can be the irregular hours and erratic schedules.
- Jagged irregular vibrations up the line suggest gravel and stones, small regular vibes mean fine gravel or sand.
- Parental contact, though irregular, prevented the child from forming an alternative parent-child relationship.
- Washington, who survived the defeat, must have noted the possibilities for irregular warfare.
- When we first entered the farm country, the beeps, sparse and irregular, jolted me.
- You learn how to generate nouns and verbs but Navajo is very irregular.
Longman Language Activatorhaving a shape that is not regular
unevenly shaped with parts or sides of unequal size: · Lake Powell's irregular coastline has many unspoiled beaches and secluded inlets.· I recognized the doctor's messy, irregular handwriting.
if something is asymmetrical , one half of it is not the same as the other - used in formal and technical contexts: · The design of the house is consciously asymmetrical with a large tower at one end.
WORD SETSablaze, adjectiveacoustic, adjectiveacoustics, nounaglow, adjectivebaa, verbbabble, verbbabble, nounbabel, nounbaby talk, nounbackfire, verbbackground, nounbang, nounbang, verbbang, interjectionbark, verbbark, nounbattle cry, nounbay, verbbeat, verbbeat, nounbellow, verbbellow, nounblare, verbblast, nounbleat, verbbleep, nounbleep, verbblip, nounbong, nounboom, nounboom, verbbowwow, interjectionbrassy, adjectivebray, verbbrazen, adjectivebreathy, adjectivebubble, verbbump, nounchatter, verbchatter, nounclink, verbclink, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncrackle, verbcrackling, nouncrash, verbcrash, nouncreak, verbcreaky, adjectivecroak, verbcroak, nouncrow, nouncrow, verbcrunch, nouncrunch, verbding-dong, noundiscord, noundiscordant, adjectivedrone, verbdrone, noundrown, verbdrum, verbdrumbeat, noundrumming, noundull, adjectiveecho, verbecho, nounfizz, verbflat, adjectivefootfall, nounfootstep, nounfusillade, noungrinding, adjectivegroan, verbgroan, noungrunt, verbgrunt, nounguffaw, verbgunshot, nounguttural, adjectivehigh, adjectivehigh, adverbhiss, verbindistinct, adjectiveirregular, adjectivelow, verbmarbled, adjectivematching, adjectivemellow, adjectivemelodic, adjectivemelodious, adjectivemetallic, adjectivemoan, verbmoan, nounmodulate, verbmonotone, nounmoo, verbmurmur, verbmurmur, nounmusical, adjectivemusically, adverbmute, verbnasal, adjectivenoise, nounoink, interjectionoof, interjectionpatter, verbpatter, nounpeal, nounpeal, verbpenetrating, adjectivepercussion, nounpsychedelic, adjectivepulse, nounputter, verbquack, verbquack, nounquaver, nounracket, nounrasp, verbrasp, nounraspberry, nounrat-a-tat, nounrattle, nounraucous, adjectivereedy, adjectivereport, nounresonance, nounresonant, adjectiveresonate, verbresonator, nounresound, verbresounding, adjectivereverberate, verbreverberation, nounrich, adjectivering, nounring, verbringing, adjectiveripple, verbripple, nounroar, nounroaring, adjectiveroll, verbrough, adjectiverustle, verbrustle, nounscratch, verbscratch, nounscream, verbscream, nounscrunch, verbsmoky, adjectivesnarl, verbsoft, adjectivesoft-spoken, adjectivesonorous, adjectivesotto voce, adverbsplosh, verbsweet, adjectiveswoosh, verbtick-tock, nountinny, adjectivetonal, adjectivevivid, adjectivevowel, nounwail, verbweak, adjectivewhack, nounwham, interjectionwhine, verbwhinny, verbwhirr, verbwhistle, verbwhistle, nounyelp, nounyowl, verbzoom, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals. Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours. It would be highly irregular (=extremely irregular) for a minister to accept payments of this kind.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals. Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours. It would be highly irregular (=extremely irregular) for a minister to accept payments of this kind. (=following a regular pattern, or not following one)· Spend time learning the forms of irregular verbs.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· It has, however, a highly irregular shape with bulges and indentations of various sizes, as shown in Fig. 21.3.· The number of organisms increases and decreases in a highly irregular manner.· It was highly irregular, but it didn't matter.· The clerk said this was highly irregular, but I insisted.· In a number of clinical disorders the cell count is subject to periodic or highly irregular variation.
· More organization may be visible at Corbridge, but the resulting insulae are still very irregular.· Through the high-powered telescope, they could see that the asteroid was very irregular, and turning slowly end over end.· Different alignments were adopted in a very irregular fashion.
NOUN· King's health Hussein was treated in hospital in Amman on June 11-13 for an irregular heartbeat.· Put simply, cardiac arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat.· The irregular heartbeat of battle was distant as yet but throbbing closer.· Two years ago, she was hospitalized because of an irregular heartbeat.· Large amounts of strong coffee can cause insomnia and, in extreme cases, palpitations and irregular heartbeats.
· They were set at irregular intervals so that it was difficult to achieve any rhythm in the descent.· The shrieks continued at irregular intervals as the creature walked the woods.· In order to escape payment Beamish fled the country and he only returned to Britain at irregular intervals from then on.· I prayed she hadn't taken one of the narrow lanes that turned off at irregular intervals.· Sisley was an Impressionist painter and exhibited in five of the eight Impressionist exhibitions held at irregular intervals between 1874 and 1886.
· Drizzle caramel from the end of a fork into irregular shapes on to lightly oiled foil.· Unless they are boned, sir-loin steaks contain bone pieces of irregular shape that are derived from the hipbone.· It has, however, a highly irregular shape with bulges and indentations of various sizes, as shown in Fig. 21.3.· The organ is soft and delicate, of irregular shape, branching and finely divided and highlighted throughout by yellow flecks.· Around it, a dwarf cluster of irregular shapes outlined the village that had clung to the church for 800 years.· The blade hone and the irregular shapes from the hip bone identify shoulder and sirloin cuts.· Its somewhat irregular shape and measurements were presumably counteracted as the building rose above ground level.· By fitting one central bar, three-point cramping is possible, catering for irregular shapes, while still providing adequate support.
· Index of language points and of irregular verbs.· The conjugations of these irregular verbs.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Index of language points and of irregular verbs.
- The conjugations of these irregular verbs.
WORD FAMILYnounregularregularity ≠ irregularityregularizationadjectiveregular ≠ irregularverbregularizeadverbregularly ≠ irregularly
1having a shape, surface, pattern etc that is not even, smooth, or balanced SYN uneven OPP regular: a jagged, irregular coastline It has a highly irregular shape, covered in bumps and indentations.2not happening at times that are an equal distance from each other OPP regular: He’s receiving medication for an irregular heartbeat. Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals.3not happening or done at the normal time for doing something OPP regular: Funeral directors often work long, irregular hours.4formal not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rules: It would be highly irregular (=extremely irregular) for a minister to accept payments of this kind.5irregular verb/plural etc a verb or a form of a word that does not follow the usual pattern of grammar, such as the verb ‘catch’ or the plural ‘fish’ OPP regular6American English 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.