# Irregardless **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477 "2012-06-08T07:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brit-Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@Brit-Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brit-Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/1 "2012-06-08T07:46:00Z")
I was wondering what the origin of the Americanism “irregardless” is please? Having spent a good amount of time in your fair land, I feel that it’s time we stamped down hard on such poor word craft - wouldn’t you agree? I cringe every time I hear it and have to say in my most haughty Queen’s English “There’s no such _expletive deleted_ word as “irregardless”, as irregardless simply means regardless” Thoughts? Brit-Guy ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/2 "2012-06-08T07:50:57Z")
> **[Irregardless](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless)** > > Irregardless is a word sometimes used in place of regardless or irrespective, which has caused controversy since the early twentieth century, though the word appeared in print as early as 1795. > The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among dictionary references suggests that it is probably a blend, or portmanteau word, of the standard English words irrespective and regardless. The blend creates a word with a meaning not predictable from the meanings of its consti... Wikipedia has an entire article on the word, apparently it may have come from West Indiana as a possible portmanteau of “irrespective” and “regardless”, but nobody knows for sure. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/3 "2012-06-08T08:36:02Z")
Like inflammable? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/4 "2012-06-08T09:18:25Z")
It’s a perfectly cromulent word. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/5 "2012-06-08T09:30:24Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Like inflammable? I’ve often wondered about that word. Is the in- prefix really the en- prefix, just spelled differently? And, if so, why is it spelled differently? ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/6 "2012-06-08T10:08:10Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve often wondered about that word. Is the in- prefix really the en- prefix, just spelled differently? And, if so, why is it spelled differently? According to [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) it is indeed the same prefix as “en”, but it’s also the same “in” as in “incarcerate.” ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/7 "2012-06-08T10:19:43Z")
The first 2 characters of both words are superfluous. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/8 "2012-06-08T12:01:58Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > The first 2 characters of both words are superfluous. Although “inflammable” is often criticized as having a superfluous prefix, it derives from the verb “inflame”. It is a perfectly good adjective. One could even argue that it’s a better word than “flammable” because there is no such word as “flam” that means “to set on fire.” “Irregardless” OTOH is truly redundant because the prefix and the suffix both negate the root word. ---
**Author:** ![Tammi\_Terrell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Tammi\_Terrell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tammi_Terrell)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/9 "2012-06-08T12:29:43Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > [Irregardless - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless) > > Wikipedia has an entire article on the word, apparently it may have come from West Indiana as a possible portmanteau of “irrespective” and “regardless”, but nobody knows for sure. As for early sightings of “irregardless,” that Wikipedia page needs to be amended. We’ve now found an instance of “irregardless” appearing in 1795 (Charleston, South Carolina), with a whole lot more published ca. 1861, clearly antedating that 1912 sighting. (The OED still retains that 1912 sighting as an early example.) [http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0705A&L=ADS-L&P=R10051](http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0705A&L=ADS-L&P=R10051) ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/10 "2012-06-08T12:33:52Z")
unirregardless i agree with your complaint. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/11 "2012-06-08T12:54:35Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Although “inflammable” is often criticized as having a superfluous prefix, it derives from the verb “inflame”. It is a perfectly good adjective. One could even argue that it’s a better word than “flammable” because there is no such word as “flam” that means “to set on fire.” The point of using “flammable” was because the in- prefix means “not” (e.g., “incomplete”) most of the time. It was an easy mistake to see “inflammable” and think it means “not able to catch fire,” sometimes with disastrous results. No one makes that mistake with “flammable,” so this is one case where a language change has a clear, logical rationale. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/12 "2012-06-08T13:18:44Z")
This thread has really piqued my unirregardlessnessability. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/13 "2012-06-08T13:26:21Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s a perfectly cromulent word. Cromulent shouldn’t be cromulent. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/14 "2012-06-08T13:38:05Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Like inflammable? What a country! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/15 "2012-06-08T14:15:37Z")
“Irregardless” is part of the lingo of the middle-management meatball, who is a cultural anti-hero greatly treasured by us Yanks. We much prefer his company to that of prissy, overdressed elocutionists. At least the meatball is one of us - he makes his numbers, mows his grass, and has seen Sunday’s game. Can Prof. Effetus Wordsphincter say the same? Hell, I wouldn’t even want him teaching my children. If I had any. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/16 "2012-06-08T16:42:55Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Like inflammable? Not exactly like. Something can be inflamed, but it can’t be irregarded. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/17 "2012-06-08T16:58:04Z")
Here’s another one: _in_visible, versus _un_visible. Shouldn’t there be that second word? If something is unvisible, it means it’s there but not seen. If invisible, then no one _realizes_ something is there, right? Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/18 "2012-06-08T17:19:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Cromulent shouldn’t be cromulent. You mean, it should be incromulent. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/19 "2012-06-08T17:33:36Z")
When I taught school (early, early in my career). I corrected one of my students for the word “irregardless” and told him if he insisted this was correct, then why shouldn’t "anti-nonirregardless) be correct? He never made the mistake again in an essay he wrote for me. Q ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477/20 "2012-06-08T17:34:31Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You mean, it should be incromulent. _Non_cromulent. _In_cromulent means the same thing as cromulent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irregardless/624477.md?page=2)