— 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; irregularis (see IR- 2 , REGULAR); r. ME irreguler ]
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).