Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
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Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Regardless

My boss always says “irregardless” when I believe he should be saying “regardless.” Is irregardless even a word? Since I know what he means and more importantly, since he IS the boss, I refrain from correcting him, but this misusage always makes me cringe. Any insight? I’ll hang up and listen!

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"Irregardless" is a word, a synonym for "regardless." It's commonly used in informal settings and mostly with humor. It was originally derived from a combination of "regardless" and "irrespective."

Joe4 Sep-26-2005

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The important rule is that he's the boss ;)

Technically, the use of the word "irregardless" is very much incorrect if he is using it in place of regardless. Going by basic word prefix definitions, the ir- prefix is the same as non- or un-, in the case that whatever word follows isn't the case. Unaware would indicate that the subject of the verb is not aware. Inexperienced, again the subject is inexperienced.

In this case, saying irregardless would mean that the subject was "without regardlessness" or "without a lack of regard". Thanks to our friend the double negative, this would mean that something that was "irregardless" was indeed worthy of recognition and regard.

Unfortunately, the acadamia of English and the practical application therein are two seperate animals, and context becomes more valuable than any prefix double-negation is. So, technically it is incorrect to say "irregardless" in replacement of "regardless", but in spoken English, as long as the meaning is accurately conveyed, the word performed its job.

RC Sep-27-2005

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no it is not a word. It should never be used.

mike7 Sep-27-2005

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the prefix rule isn't always hard and fast though, think of the words inflamable, or unloosen. replenish used to mean to fill for the first time, despite the "re-" prefix. i often hear and use the word irregardless and i believe it to be a word.

Kevin_Hall Sep-27-2005

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Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.

gine Sep-27-2005

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It doesn't seem any different from "flammable" and "inflammable", or a house that burns up as it burns down..

Irregardless was made famous by the L'il Abner comic strip. Mammy Yokum was especially likely to say it.

SmartAZ Sep-28-2005

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I had the same experience with my high school physics teacher, who seemed to use the word every day. But I looked it up in the dictionary to make sure I was in the right before criticizing, and my Merriam-Webster unabridged listed it as a synonym for "regardless."

Alex1 Sep-28-2005

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re: SmartAZ and inflammable
I thought inflammable came from French for enflame, thus meant "enflame-able." The "in-" isn't a "not" prefix in this case.

Jerry1 Sep-28-2005

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Its a non-word that is becoming a word through common use.

Doug1 Sep-28-2005

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Gee, an extra syllable would really add some 'zing' to this little pep-talk.

I'm cringing just hearing about this guy.

good Oct-01-2005

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When I was in grade school, some 35 or 40 years ago, the word irregardless was not in the dictionary. At the time, it was not considered a word. Today, it is listed in the dictionary. While it might be listed as, slang, vulgar, colloquial, or obscene, it most definitely has become a word. I would suggest avoiding its use if you want to appear educated.
This reminds me, if boning a chicken means to take out the bones, what is deboning? putting the bones back in?

porsche Oct-26-2005

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Its fab

gooooh May-14-2006

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just love him

mooly May-14-2006

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Irregardless didn't used to be a word; it was substandard. But along with other words, it was abused so much, they decided to make it a word with the same meaning as regardless. It sickens me to see this happen. Irregardless makes no sense.

rocket621 Apr-27-2021

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From Webster's dictionary.

Is irregardless a word?
Irregardless was popularized in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its increasingly widespread spoken use called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

rocket621 Apr-27-2021

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