In another sign of the impending apocalypse, Mirriam Webster has confirmed that "irregardless" is apparently a word, when it listed it in its Words of the Week column for Friday, July 3, 2020.
Paradoxically, the definition listed for "irregardless" is "regardless". This definition alone would seem to point out its irrelevance. The purposelessness of its existence. Were we being literal, the definition should be "not regardless" or "without without regard."
It's nonsensical.
Mirriam-Webster tries to provide a vigorous defense of its use and inclusion. "It may not be a word that you like, or a word that you would use in a term paper, but irregardless certainly is a word. It has been in use for well over 200 years, employed by a large number of people across a wide geographic range and with a consistent meaning. That is why we, and well-nigh every other dictionary of modern English, define this word. Remember that a definition is not an endorsement of a word’s use."
Still, it is a word that should not exist. It serves no purpose, beyond being a misstatement of the proper word.
Regardless of what Mirriam-Webster might say.
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