different between irregular vs unsteady

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French irreguler, from Medieval Latin or Late Latin irr?gul?ris, from in- + regularis, equivalent to ir- +? regular.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?????j?l?/

Adjective

irregular (comparative more irregular, superlative most irregular)

1. nonstandard; not conforming to rules or expectations
2. (of a surface) rough
3. without symmetry, regularity, or uniformity
4. (geometry, of a polygon) not regular; having sides that are not equal or angles that are not equal
5. (geometry, of a polyhedron) whose faces are not all regular polygons (or are not equally inclined to each other)
6. (grammar, of a word) not following the regular or expected patterns of inflection in a given language

Synonyms

• (nonstandard): abnormal, singular; see also Thesaurus:strange
• (rough): coarse, salebrous; see also Thesaurus:rough
• (without uniformity): unstable, unsteady; see also Thesaurus:unsteady
• (not following the regular patterns of inflection): heteroclite

Antonyms

• regular

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

irregular (plural irregulars)

1. A soldier who is not a member of an official military force and who may not use regular army tactics.
2. One who does not regularly attend a venue.

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin irr?gul?ris.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /i.r?.?u?la/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /i.re.?u?la?/

Adjective

irregular (masculine and feminine plural irregulars)

1. irregular

   Antonym: regular

Derived terms

• irregularment

Related terms

• irregularitat

Further reading

• “irregular” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “irregular” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “irregular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “irregular” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin irr?gul?ris.

Adjective

irregular m or f (plural irregulares)

1. irregular

   Antonym: regular

Related terms

• irregularidade

Further reading

• “irregular” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin irr?gul?ris.

Adjective

irregular m or f (plural irregulares, comparable)

1. irregular; nonstandard
2. (grammar) irregular (not following an inflectional paradigm)

Antonyms

• regular

Derived terms

• irregularmente

Related terms

• irregularidade

Further reading

• “irregular” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin irr?gul?ris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ire?u?la?/, [i.re.??u?la?]

Adjective

irregular (plural irregulares)

1. irregular, uneven, erratic, haphazard
2. patchy, spotty, jagged, ragged
3. fitful
4. (grammar) (of a verb etc.) irregular

   Antonym: regular

Derived terms

• verbo irregular

Related terms

• irregularidad
• regular

Further reading

• “irregular” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

From un- +? steady. Like steady, the word first appeared in English around 1530. The word is comparable to Old Frisian onstedich, Low German unstadig, etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?st?di/
• Rhymes: -?di
• Hyphenation: un?steady

Adjective

unsteady (comparative unsteadier, superlative unsteadiest)

1. Not held firmly in position, physically unstable.

   • "Mid-Lent, and the Enemy grins," remarked Selwyn as he started for church with Nina and the children. Austin, knee-deep in a dozen Sunday supplements, refused to stir; poor little Eileen was now convalescent from grippe, but still unsteady on her legs; her maid had taken the grippe, and now moaned all day: […]"

2. Lacking regularity or uniformity.
3. Inconstant in purpose, or volatile in behavior.

Synonyms

• (not held or fixed securely and likely to fall over): precarious, rickety, shaky; see also Thesaurus:rickety
• (lacking regularity or uniformity): chaotic, irregular, unstable; see also Thesaurus:unsteady

Antonyms

• steady

Derived terms

• unsteadily

Translations

Verb

unsteady (third-person singular simple present unsteadies, present participle unsteadying, simple past and past participle unsteadied)

1. To render unsteady, removing balance.

Anagrams

• Dauntsey, unstayed