irrelevant
gb/ɪɹˈɛləvənt/ us/ɪɹˈɛləvənt/
B2
English
~ 5400
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
Not related to the topic
Not related to the main subject or situation people are talking or thinking about.
Usage pattern:
[something] is irrelevant (to [something])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"irrelevant with"* instead of *"irrelevant to"*. The correct preposition is almost always **to**, as in *"This is irrelevant to our discussion."* Learners may also confuse **irrelevant** with **irreligious**; these are unrelated in meaning.
Synonyms
unrelated (Focuses on having no connection at all, without the idea of importance in a discussion.)
|
immaterial (More formal; often used in legal or business contexts for points that do not affect a decision.)
|
beside the point (Informal phrase; emphasizes that something does not help with the main issue being discussed.)
Antonyms
relevant (Describes something that is clearly connected to and important for the subject being discussed.)
|
pertinent (More formal; stresses being directly related and useful to the matter at hand.)
Collocations
irrelevant to the discussion
|completely irrelevant
|totally irrelevant
|irrelevant details
|irrelevant information
|irrelevant question
Themes
communication
|logic
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Your childhood is irrelevant to this job interview.
- Most of the data in his report turned out to be irrelevant to the research question.
- The judge ruled that the lawyer’s question was irrelevant to the case.
- Her comments about office decor are irrelevant when we are trying to cut costs.
- What he did ten years ago is irrelevant to the problem we have now.
Learner examples
- My age is irrelevant to this problem.
- That story is interesting, but it is irrelevant to our class topic.
- The extra numbers are irrelevant, so you can ignore them.
- Your personal life is irrelevant to the meeting.
- This example is irrelevant to the question on the test.
adjective
B2
property
2
Not important in this situation
Not important in this situation because it does not change what will happen or what you decide.
Usage pattern:
[something] is irrelevant (for/to [a result])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes overuse **irrelevant** when they simply mean **unimportant** in a general sense. **Irrelevant** usually means it does not affect the result or decision in this specific situation, rather than just being small or trivial.
Synonyms
insignificant (Highlights that something is so small or unimportant that it does not really matter.)
|
inconsequential (Formal; stresses that something does not have any real effect on the result.)
Antonyms
crucial (Describes something extremely important for the outcome or decision.)
|
significant (Means that something is important enough to influence a result or be worth attention.)
Collocations
largely irrelevant
|almost irrelevant
|politically irrelevant
|socially irrelevant
|economically irrelevant
|make [something] irrelevant
Themes
decision-making
|work
|logic
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- The exact price is irrelevant; what matters is whether we can deliver on time.
- His lack of experience is irrelevant if he is willing to learn quickly.
- Age is irrelevant for this online survey, so we did not ask for it.
- Whether it rains or not is irrelevant, because the event will be held indoors.
- These small errors are irrelevant to the overall success of the project.
Learner examples
- Your accent is irrelevant if people can understand you.
- The color of the cover is irrelevant; I just need the book.
- His past is irrelevant to the decision we make today.
- A few minutes late is irrelevant when the trip is so long.
- The brand name is irrelevant, because all the products are the same.
Grammar
Expressions
irrelevant to
1/ɪɹˈɛləvənt tə/
fixed phrase
Not related or important to something
Used before a noun to say that something is not connected to or not important for that thing.
Examples
- His personal life is irrelevant to his ability to do the job.
- These numbers are irrelevant to our final decision.
- Most of the comments online are irrelevant to the actual article.
that's irrelevant
1/ðˈæts ɪɹˈɛləvənt/
fixed phrase
Saying something does not matter here
Used to say that something is not connected to the main subject or does not matter in this situation.
Examples
- A: "But he was late last week too." B: "That's irrelevant; we are talking about today."
- You keep mentioning his brother, but that's irrelevant to the problem we are trying to solve.
- Whether you like him or not is irrelevant. That's irrelevant to the decision we have to make.