irregular

irregular
irregularly, adv.
/i reg"yeuh leuhr/, adj.
1. without symmetry, even shape, formal arrangement, etc.: an irregular pattern.
2. not characterized by any fixed principle, method, continuity, or rate: irregular intervals.
3. not conforming to established rules, customs, etiquette, morality, etc.: highly irregular behavior.
4. not according to rule, or to the accepted principle, method, course, order, etc.
5. Gram. not conforming to the prevalent pattern or patterns of formation, inflection, construction, etc., of a language; having a rule descriptive of a very small number of items: The English verbs "keep" and "see" are irregular in their inflections.
6. Mil. (formerly, of troops) not belonging to an organized group of the established forces.
7. flawed, damaged, or failing to meet a specific standard of manufacture: a sale of irregular shirts.
8. Bot.
a. not uniform.
b. (of a flower) having the members of some or all of its floral circles or whorls differing from one another in size or shape, or extent of union.
9. deviating or experiencing deviations from a normally regular or cyclic body function, as bowel habits or menstruation.
10. (of a stock or commodity market) of mixed market activity; showing no clear up or down trend.
n.
11. a person or thing that is irregular.
12. Com. a product or material that does not meet specifications or standards of the manufacturer, as one having imperfections in its pattern.
13. Mil. a soldier or combatant not of a regular military force, as a guerrilla or partisan.
[1350-1400; < LL irregularis (see IR-2, REGULAR); r. ME irreguler < MF]
Syn. 1. unsymmetrical, uneven. 2. unmethodical, unsystematic; disorderly, capricious, erratic, eccentric, lawless. 4. anomalous, unusual. IRREGULAR, ABNORMAL, EXCEPTIONAL imply a deviation from the regular, the normal, the ordinary, or the usual. IRREGULAR, not according to rule, refers to any deviation, as in form, arrangement, action, and the like; it may imply such deviation as a mere fact, or as regrettable, or even censurable. ABNORMAL means a deviation from the common rule, often implying that this results in an aberrant or regrettably strange form or nature of a thing: abnormal lack of emotion; A two-headed calf is abnormal.
EXCEPTIONAL means out of the ordinary or unusual; it may refer merely to the rarity of occurrence, or to the superiority of quality: an exceptional case; an exceptional mind. Because of the stigma of ABNORMAL, EXCEPTIONAL is today frequently substituted for it in contexts where such a euphemism may be thought to be appropriate: a school for exceptional children (children who are abnormal in behavior, mental capacity, or the like).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, a. [Pref. ir not + regular: cf. F. irr[ e]gulier.] 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • irregular — ir‧reg‧u‧lar [ɪˈregjlə ǁ ər] adjective not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rules: • There were some warning signals that something irregular was going on. • highly irregular trading activities irregularity noun [countable,… …   Financial and business terms

  • irregular — irregular, anomalous, unnatural mean outside the sphere of what conforms to or is explainable by law, rule, custom, or principle. Irregular implies failure to conform to a rule, a law, or a pattern, especially to one imposed for the sake of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • irregular — adjetivo 1. Área: gramática [Verbo, participio, conjugación] que no sigue la regla o norma general. 2. Que no es regular o uniforme: una respiración irregular. Era difícil andar porque el terreno era muy irregular. Tiene unos horarios muy… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • irregular — (Del lat. irregulāris). 1. adj. Que está fuera de regla. 2. Contrario a ella. 3. Que no observa siempre el mismo comportamiento, o no rinde del mismo modo. 4. Que no sucede común y ordinariamente. 5. Geom. Dicho de un polígono o de un poliedro:… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • irregular — [i reg′yə lər] adj. [ME < OFr irregulier < ML irregularis: see IN 2 & REGULAR] 1. not conforming to established rule, method, usage, standard, etc.; out of the ordinary; anomalous 2. not conforming to legal or moral requirements; lawless;… …   English World dictionary

  • irregular — ir·reg·u·lar /ir re gyə lər/ adj: not in accord with laws, rules, procedures, or established custom ir·reg·u·lar·ly adv Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. ir …   Law dictionary

  • irregular — [adj1] random, variable aberrant, aimless, capricious, casual, changeable, designless, desultory, disconnected, discontinuous, eccentric, erratic, faltering, fitful, fluctuating, fragmentary, haphazard, hit or miss*, inconstant, indiscriminate,… …   New thesaurus

  • irregulär — irregulär:1.⇨ungesetzlich–2.⇨ungewöhnlich irregulär 1.→gesetzwidrig 2.außerplanmäßig,regelwidrig,ungewöhnlich,unüblich,unregelmäßig,anormal,atypisch,abnorm …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • irregular — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not regular in shape, arrangement, or occurrence. 2) contrary to a rule, standard, or convention. 3) not belonging to regular army units. 4) Grammar (of a word) having inflections that do not conform to the usual rules. ► NOUN ▪ a… …   English terms dictionary

  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, n. One who is not regular; especially, a soldier not in regular service. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”