irregular

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: ir=reg=u=lar

CIDE DICTIONARY

irregular, a. [Pref. ir- not + regular: cf. F. irrégulier.].

 Not regular; not conforming to a law, method, or usage recognized as the general rule; not according to common form; not conformable to nature, to the rules of moral rectitude, or to established principles; not normal; unnatural; immethodical; unsymmetrical; erratic; no straight; not uniform; as, an irregular line; an irregular figure; an irregular verse; an irregular physician; an irregular proceeding; irregular motion; irregular conduct, etc. Cf. Regular.  [1913 Webster]
"Mazes intricate,
Eccentric, intervolved, yet regular
Then most when most irregular they seem."  [1913 Webster]
"Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight
Against the irregular and wild Glendower."  [1913 Webster]
"A flowery meadow through which a clear stream murmured in many irregular meanders."

Syn. -- Immethodical; unsystematic; abnormal; unnatural; anomalous; erratic; devious; crooked; eccentric; unsettled; uneven; variable; changeable; mutable; desultory; disorderly; wild; immoderate; intemperate; inordinate; vicious.

irregular, n. 

 One who is not regular; especially, a soldier not in regular service.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

irregular, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 not regular; unsymmetrical, uneven; varying in form.
2 (of a surface) uneven.
3 contrary to a rule, moral principle, or custom; abnormal.
4 uneven in duration, order, etc.
5 (of troops) not belonging to the regular army.
6 Gram. (of a verb, noun, etc.) not inflected according to the usual rules.
7 disorderly.
8 (of a flower) having unequal petals etc.
--n. (in pl.) irregular troops.

Derivative

irregularity n. (pl. -ies). irregularly adv.

Etymology

ME f. OF irreguler f. LL irregularis (as IN-(1), REGULAR)

THESAURUS

irregular

Bohemian, Charley, Mickey Mouse, VC, Vietcong, aberrant, abnormal, actionable, adrift, affable, afloat, against the law, aimless, alternating, amorphous, anamorphous, anarchic, anarchistic, anomalistic, anomalous, anomic, askew, asymmetric, asymmetrical, atypical, base, bent, bizarre, black-market, bootleg, bowed, broken, broken off, bumpy, bushfighter, bushwhacker, capricious, careening, casual, catchy, changeable, changeful, changing, chargeable, cheap, cheesy, chopped-off, choppy, coarse, coarse-grained, cockeyed, common, contorted, contraband, contrary to law, cordial, corrugated, craggy, crank, crankish, cranky, crazy, criminal, crooked, cross-grained, crotchety, crumpled, crunched, decousu, degage, designless, desultory, deviable, deviant, deviating, deviative, deviatory, different, disarticulated, disconnected, discontinued, discontinuous, discrete, disjunct, disjunctive, disordered, disorderly, disparate, dispersed, disproportional, disproportionate, distorted, divaricate, divergent, diversified, diversiform, dizzy, dotty, easy, easygoing, eccentric, episodic, erose, erratic, exceptional, extraordinary, familiar, fast and loose, felonious, fey, fickle, fitful, flaky, flawed, flickering, flighty, flitting, fluctuating, folksy, formless, fourth-class, freakish, freaky, free and easy, frivolous, funny, giddy, gracious, grainy, granulated, gratuitous, guerrilla, guttering, halting, haphazard, haymish, herky-jerky, heteroclite, heteromorphic, hit-or-miss, homely, homespun, homey, horripilant, idiocratic, idiosyncratic, ill-matched, ill-sorted, illegal, illegitimate, illicit, immethodical, impermissible, impetuous, impulsive, inadequate, inchoate, incoherent, inconsistent, inconstant, indecisive, indiscriminate, inequal, inferior, infirm, informal, insufficient, intermittent, intermitting, interrupted, irresolute, irresponsible, jagged, jerky, jolty, justiciable, kinky, kooky, labyrinthine, lawless, linsey-woolsey, loose, lopsided, low-class, low-grade, low-quality, low-test, lumpy, lurching, maggoty, maquis, maquisard, mazy, mean, meaningless, mercurial, mismatched, misshapen, moody, motley, mutable, natural, nonconforming, nonconformist, nonconstitutional, noncontinuous, nonlegal, nonlicit, nonlinear, nonsequential, nonserial, nonstandard, nonsymmetric, nonsymmetrical, nonsystematic, nonuniform, nutty, occasional, odd, oddball, off-balance, off-key, offbeat, offhand, offhanded, one-sided, orderless, out of proportion, outlaw, outlawed, overbalanced, paltry, parenthetic, partisan, patchy, patriot, peculiar, pimply, pitted, plain, planless, pluralistic, pocky, poor, potholed, promiscuous, punishable, punk, purposeless, queer, quirky, ragged, rambling, random, rank, relaxed, resistance, resistance fighter, restless, ripply, rough, rough-grained, rough-hewn, roving, ruffled, rutted, rutty, scatterbrained, schlock, schmatte, scrappy, screwball, screwy, second, second-best, second-class, seedy, senseless, shabby, shagged, shaggy, shapeless, shifting, shifty, shuffling, simple, singular, skew, skewed, snatchy, sociable, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spastic, spineless, sporadic, spotty, sprung, staggering, straggling, straggly, strange, stray, straying, subnormal, suspended, systemless, tacky, textured, third, third-class, third-rate, tinny, tortuous, triable, twisted, unaccountable, unaffected, unallowed, unarranged, unassuming, unauthorized, unbalanced, unceremonious, uncertain, unclassified, uncommon, unconnected, unconsidered, unconstitutional, unconstrained, uncontrolled, unconventional, undependable, under-the-counter, under-the-table, underground, underground fighter, undirected, undisciplined, unequable, unequal, uneven, unfixed, ungraded, unique, unjoined, unkempt, unlawful, unlevel, unmethodical, unmetrical, unnatural, unofficial, unordered, unorganized, unorthodox, unpolished, unpredictable, unrefined, unregular, unreliable, unrestrained, unrhythmical, unsettled, unsmooth, unsorted, unstable, unstable as water, unstaid, unstatutory, unsteadfast, unsteady, unstudied, unsuccessive, unsymmetric, unsymmetrical, unsystematic, ununiform, unusual, unwarrantable, unwarranted, vacillating, vagrant, vague, variable, variegated, variform, various, varying, veering, vicissitudinary, vicissitudinous, volatile, wacky, wandering, wanton, warped, wavering, wavery, wavy, wayward, weird, whimsical, wimpled, wishy-washy, wobbling, wobbly, wrongful

ROGET THESAURUS

irregular

Nonuniformity

N nonuniformity, diversity, irregularity, unevenness, multiformity, unconformity, roughness, dissimilarity, dissimilitude, divarication, divergence, diversified varied, irregular, uneven, rough, multifarious, multiform, of various kinds, all manner of, all sorts of, all kinds of, variously, in all manner of ways, here there and everywhere.

Disorder

N disorder, derangement, irregularity, anomaly, anarchy, anarchism, want of method, untidiness, disunion, discord, confusion, confusedness, mishmash, mix, disarray, jumble, huddle, litter, lumber, cahotage, farrago, mess, mash, muddle, muss, hash, hodgepodge, hotch-potch, hotch-pot, imbroglio, chaos, omnium gatherum, medley, mere mixture, fortuitous concourse of atoms, disjecta membra, rudis indigestaque moles, complexity, turmoil, ferment, to-do, trouble, pudder, pother, row, rumble, disturbance, hubbub, convulsion, tumult, uproar, revolution, riot, rumpus, stour, scramble, brawl, fracas, rhubarb, fight, free-for-all, row, ruction, rumpus, embroilment, melee, spill and pelt, rough and tumble, whirlwind, bear garden, Babel, Saturnalia, donnybrook, Donnybrook Fair, confusion worse confounded, most admired disorder, concordia discors, Bedlam, all hell broke loose, bull in a china shop, all the fat in the fire, diable a' quatre, Devil to pay, pretty kettle of fish, pretty piece of work, pretty piece of business, disorderly person, disorderly persons offence, misdemeanor, slattern, slut (libertine), disorderly, orderless, out of order, out of place, out of gear, irregular, desultory, anomalous, acephalous, deranged, aimless, disorganized, straggling, unmethodical, immethodical, unsymmetric, unsystematic, untidy, slovenly, dislocated, out of sorts, promiscuous, indiscriminate, chaotic, anarchical, unarranged &c (arrange), confused, deranged, topsy-turvy, shapeless, disjointed, out of joint, troublous, riotous, complex, irregularly, by fits, by fits and snatches, by fits and starts, pellmell, higgledy-piggledy, helter-skelter, harum-scarum, in a ferment, at sixes and sevens, at cross-purposes, upside down, the cart before the horse, hysteron proteron, chaos is come again, the wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.

Multiformity

N multiformity, omniformity, variety, diversity, multifariousness, varied assortment, dissimilarity, polymorphous, multiform, multifold, multifarious, multigenerous, multiplex, heterogeneous, diversified, dissimilar, various, varied, variform, manifold, many-sided, variegated, motley, mosaic, epicene, indiscriminate, desultory, irregular, mixed, different, assorted, mingled, odd, diverse, divers, all manner of, of every description, of all sorts and kinds, et hoc genus omne, and what not? de omnibus rebus et quibusdam aliis, jumbled, confused, mixed up, discordant, inharmonious, unmatched, unrelated, nonuniform, omniform, omnigenous, omnifarious, protean (form), harmoniously confused, variety's the very spice of life.

Unconformity

N unconformity, nonconformity, unconformity, disconformity, unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly, anomalousness, exception, peculiarity, infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage, teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity, freak, freak of Nature, weirdo, mutant, rouser, snorter, individuality, idiosyncrasy, originality, mannerism, aberration, irregularity, variety, singularity, exemption, salvo, nonconformist, nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish, mongrel, random breed, half-caste, half-blood, half-breed, metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto, tertium quid, hermaphrodite, phoenix, chimera, hydra, sphinx, minotaur, griffin, griffon, centaur, saggittary, kraken, cockatrice, wyvern, roc, dragon, sea serpent, mermaid, merman, merfolk, unicorn, Cyclops, men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders, teratology, fish out of water, neither one thing nor another, neither fish nor fowl, neither fish flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, one in a million, one in a way, one in a thousand, outcast, outlaw, off the beaten track, oasis, uncomformable, exceptional, abnormal, abnormous, anomalous, anomalistic, out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element, irregular, arbitrary, teratogenic, lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton, peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious, out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run, beyond the pale of, out of the pale of, misplaced, funny, unusual, unaccustomed, uncustomary, unwonted, uncommon, rare, curious, odd, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, strange, monstrous, wonderful, unexpected, unaccountable, outre, out of the way, remarkable, noteworthy, queer, quaint, nondescript, none such, sui generis, unfashionable, fantastic, grotesque, bizarre, outlandish, exotic, tombe des nues, preternatural, denaturalized, heterogeneous, heteroclite, amorphous, mongrel, amphibious, epicene, half blood, hybrid, androgynous, androgynal, asymmetric, adelomorphous, bisexual, hermaphrodite, monoclinous, qualified, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, newfangled, novel, non-classical, original, unconventional, unheard of, unfamiliar, undescribed, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled, unconformably, except, unless, save barring, beside, without, save and except, let alone, however, yet, but, once in a blue moon, once in a million years, Int, what on earth!, what in the world!, What the devil!, Holy cow!, Can you top that?, Sacre bleu, never was seen the like, never was heard the like, never was known the like, I could hardly believe it, I saw it, but I didn't believe it.

Combatant

N combatant, disputant, controversialist, polemic, litigant, belligerent, competitor, rival, corrival, fighter, assailant, champion, Paladin, mosstrooper, swashbuckler fire eater, duelist, bully, bludgeon man, rough, prize fighter, pugilist, boxer, bruiser, the fancy, gladiator, athlete, wrestler, fighting-cock, game-cock, warrior, soldier, fighting man, Amazon, man at arms, armigerent, campaigner, veteran, swordsman, sabreur, redcoat, military man, Rajput, armed force, troops, soldiery, military forces, sabaoth, the army, standing army, regulars, the line, troops of the line, militia, yeomanry, volunteers, trainband, fencible, auxiliary, bersagliere, brave, garde-nationale, garde-royale, minuteman, auxiliary forces, reserve forces, reserves, posse comitatus, national guard, gendarme, beefeater, guards, guardsman, yeomen of the guard, life guards, household troops, janissary, myrmidon, Mama, Mameluke, spahee, spahi, Cossack, Croat, Pandoz, irregular, guerilla, partisan, condottiere, franctireur, tirailleur, bashi-bazouk, vietminh, vietcong, shining path, contras, huk, hukbalahap, mercenary, soldier of fortune, hired gun, gunfighter, gunslinger, bushwhacker, free lance, companion, Hessian, hit man torpedo, soldier, levy, draught, Landwehr, Landsturm, conscript, recruit, cadet, raw levies, infantry, infantryman, private, private soldier, foot soldier, Tommy Atkins, rank and file, peon, trooper, sepoy, legionnaire, legionary, cannon fodder, food for powder, officer, subaltern, ensign, standard bearer, spearman, pikeman, spear bearer, halberdier, lancer, musketeer, carabineer, rifleman, jager, sharpshooter, yager, skirmisher, grenadier, fusileer, archer, bowman, horse and foot, horse soldier, cavalry, horse, artillery, horse artillery, light horse, voltigeur, uhlan, mounted rifles, dragoon, hussar, light dragoon, heavy dragoon, heavy, cuirassier, Foot Guards, Horse Guards, gunner, cannoneer, bombardier, artilleryman, matross, sapper, sapper and miner, engineer, light infantry, rifles, chasseur, zouave, military train, coolie, army, corps d'armee, host, division, battalia, column, wing, detachment, garrison, flying column, brigade, regiment, corps, battalion, sotnia, squadron, company, platoon, battery, subdivision, section, squad, piquet, picket, guard, rank, file, legion, phalanx, cohort, cloud of skirmishers, war horse, charger, destrier, marine, man-of-war's man, navy, wooden walls, naval forces, fleet, flotilla, armada, squadron, man-of-war, destroyer, submarine, minesweeper, torpedo-boat, torpedo-destroyer, patrol torpedo boat, PT boat, torpedo- catcher, war castle, H, M, S, battleship, battle wagon, dreadnought, line of battle ship, ship of the line, aircraft carrier, carrier, flattop, helicopter carrier, missile platform, missile boat, ironclad, turret ship, ram, monitor, floating battery, first- rate, frigate, sloop of war, corvette, gunboat, bomb vessel, flagship, guard ship, cruiser, armored cruiser, protected cruiser, privateer, tender, store ship, troop ship, transport, catamaran, merchant marine.

Irregularity of recurrence

N irregularity of recurrence, irregularity, uncertainty, unpunctuality, fitfulness, capriciousness, ecrhythmus, irregular, uncertain, unpunctual, capricious, desultory, fitful, flickering, rambling, rhapsodical, spasmodic, immethodical, unmethodical, variable, irregularly, by fits and starts.

Distortion

N distortion, detortion, contortion, twist, crookedness, grimace, deformity, malformation, malconformation, harelip, monstrosity, misproportion, want of symmetry, anamorphosis, ugliness, talipes, teratology, asymmetry, irregularity, distorted, out of shape, irregular, asymmetric, unsymmetric, awry, wry, askew, crooked, not true, not straight, on one side, crump, deformed, harelipped, misshapen, misbegotten, misproportioned, ill proportioned, ill-made, grotesque, monstrous, crooked as a ram's horn, camel backed, hump backed, hunch backed, bunch backed, crook backed, bandy, bandy legged, bow legged, bow kneed, knock kneed, splay footed, club footed, round shouldered, snub nosed, curtailed of one's fair proportions, stumpy, gaunt, bloated, scalene, simous, taliped, talipedic, all manner of ways, crooked as a Virginia fence.