‘Irregardless’ Is Officially a Word According to Merriam-Webster

Regardless of what you think, this is happening.

Apparently if you say a fake word enough times, it becomes a real word. As least that's what seems to happen these days. In a move that would make Mean Girls' Gretchen Wieners proud, the word "irregardless" is officially a word.

Now you can say the word with confidence and, evidently, perfectly manicured hands. The announcement was made by Merriam-Webster during a "Words of the Week" roundup last Friday, July 3. After stating that they don't make the English language, they just record it, they stated why irregardless needed to be added,

"Irregardless is included in our dictionary because it has been in widespread and near-constant use since 1795."

The word is defined as "nonstandard", which also sounds like a fishy, made-up word. They also state that it means the same thing as "regardless", defined as "without paying attention to the present situation; despite the prevailing circumstances." Although the prefix "ir" is usually meant as a function of negation, the Merriam-Webster team decided in this case, "ir" intensifies the meaning behind the word "regardless."

Although many scholars, as quoted by NPR, would argue that "irregardless" would mean "not regardless" which simply does not make sense.

We, on the other hand, are more interested in what kind of word you would make up. What is an action or a thing around you that could use a new word or new description? Go ahead, get creative with it!