'Relevant' vs 'Irrelevant': What's the Difference?

Do you need to know the difference between 'relevant' vs. 'irrelevant?' If so, you are in luck.

Here is the short answer in case you are in a rush:

• 'Relevant' is an adjective that means relative or proportional.
• 'Irrelevant' is an adjective that means inapplicable or unrelated.
• 'Relevant' and 'irrelevant' are antonyms or opposites.

If you want to learn more about how to use these words, read the rest of this guide. It includes examples, writing, tips, and examples that will help you remember the correct meaning and usage of each term.

What is the Difference Between 'Relevant' vs. 'Irrelevant?'

'Relevant' and 'irrelevant' are antonyms, which means they are opposites.

'Relevant' means that something is pertinent or essential. 'Irrelevant' means that something is unimportant or unrelated.

Another difference is that the second word contains the ir- prefix, which means not. So, 'irrelevant' literally means not relevant.

Definition of 'Relevant': What Does 'Relevant' Mean?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines 'relevant' as an adjective that means:

• Having a demonstrable or significant bearing on the matter at hand
• Being socially important
• Relative or proportional to the subject being discussed

Synonyms of 'Relevant'

Synonyms are words you can use in place of other words. Using synonyms can help you avoid being repetitive and keep your writing fresh.

So, here is a list of synonyms for 'relevant':

• Applicable
• Important
• Appropriate
• Suitable
• Meaningful
• Important
• Relative
• Related
• Apposite
• Fitting
• Material
• To the point
• Apt
• Apropos
• Significant
• Admissible
• Sensible
• Fitting

Definition of 'Irrelevant': What Does 'Irrelevant' Mean?

The same defines 'irrelevant' as an adjective that means:

• Inapplicable
• Unimportant or unrelated
• Not relevant
• Unrelated to the matter at hand

Synonyms of 'Irrelevant'

Learning synonyms of words can also help you better understand their meaning. So, take a look at these synonyms of 'irrelevant':

• Meaningless
• Pointless
• Extraneous
• Inapplicable
• Unimportant
• Insignificant
• Moot
• Dead
• Unrelated
• Incidental
• Tangent
• Unsuitable
• Inconsequential
• Pointless
• Peripheral
• Inapt
• Senseless

Pronunciation: How to Pronounce 'Relevant' vs. 'Irrelevant'

When using words like 'relevant' and 'irrelevant' it is important to pronounce them correctly. Otherwise, people may not understand what you mean.

So, here is a pronunciation guide you can reference.

• Use this phonetic spelling to pronounce 'relevant correctly':

re-luh-vent

• Use this phonetic spelling to correctly pronounce 'irrelevant':

i-re-luh-vent

Writing Tips: How and When to Use 'Relevant' vs. 'Irrelevant'

• Use 'relevant' to refer to something pertinent or important.

For example, you can say something like:

Please look at the relevant information on the 21st page of your packet.

• Use 'irrelevant' to refer to information that is unimportant:

So, you could say:

We have limited time for today's staff meeting. So, please refrain from sharing irrelevant information. 

• Use 'relevant' to refer to something important to society.

As an example, I might write:

For many years, this cause was not unimportant to the citizens, but recently as more light has been shined on the subject it has become more relevant.

• Use 'relevant' as an adjective to describe something commonly used or associated with a group.

For example, you could say:

The team used relevant tools to reach their target audience. 

• Use 'irrelevant' to discuss something that is no longer used.

So, I might say:

Washing machine salespeople don't need to learn how to properly operate a hand-cranked washing machine because those antiquated machines are irrelevant.

Sample Sentences Using 'Relevant' and 'Irrelevant'

Next, read these sample sentences. You should know how to use both of these words now. However, repetition is the best way to remember confusing terms like these.

So, reading these sample sentences will help you remember when and how to use each term. And if you want to recognize the difference, create sentences using each term.

Relevant

• Does anyone have a Furby at home? Those things haven't been relevant in decades.
• Are you going to the webinar? I will attend because it will have much information relevant to our field.
• Is that really relevant to our conversation? If you do not have anything beneficial to add, please be silent.
• At the end of the presentation, you will find all the relevant information necessary to verify what you see.
• If you think it is relevant, you should bring it up in the board meeting this afternoon.
• If you want to flip your real estate investments quickly, you must ensure your listings are relevant in today's market.
• You need to educate yourself constantly to stay relevant in this thought economy.

Irrelevant

• I hope we do not get into irrelevant topics at our meeting tonight. It is such a waste of time!
• We spent ninety minutes talking about irrelevant things last week.
• I feel bad for my elderly neighbor. When she was younger, she wrote a best-seller, but now she is irrelevant, and no one recognizes or comes to see her.
• The judges were unhappy with her presentation because they felt like much of the information was irrelevant.
• If it is irrelevant, please put it to the side. I only want to address top-priority issues.
• John constantly complains about Janice, but I know his concerns are irrelevant. So, most of the time, I ignore them.

Recap: The Difference Between 'Relevant' vs. 'Irrelevant'

After reviewing this much information, seeing a recap of what you learned is beneficial. So, here is a review of the difference between 'relevant' vs. 'irrelevant':

• 'Relevant' is an adjective that means related to or proportional.
• 'Irrelevant' is the antonym of 'relevant.'
• 'Irrelevant' is an adjective that means unrelated.

These terms confuse many writers. Remember that 'irrelevant' contains the ir- prefix, which means not.

So, it means not essential or relative.

However, if you need a reminder of the difference between these words in the future, return to this page to look over this lesson.

There are also dozens of other guides here to help you improve your writing skills and learn how to use commonly misused terms grammatically.

If you want to improve your grammar and become a more marketable freelance writer, read a few of the other guides before you leave, and check back frequently to stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends.

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