This is the 2nd-3rd post grammar experts have “schooled” me for that word.
For everyone’s info it IS a word and was commonly used about 100 years ago.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
“Irregardless was popularized in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its increasingly widespread spoken use called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.”
Interesting... back when I was writing papers in APA format we were told specifically to never use irregardless as it was a double negative.
Here’s something I found,
The ir- prefix means “not,” and if you add it to a word that already means “without regard,” you get “not without regard.” This double negative is what makes irregardless a mess of a word, and an insult to the army of people who are passionate about English vocabulary.
I’m not passionate about English vocabulary as I often times write in vernacular not unlike Twain or Hurston just because I like the idioms from various regions but informal writing didn’t cut it in research papers.
No offense I just thought it was kind of humorous that you used irregardless in a thread concerning the population getting less intelligent. Something perhaps resembling a grammatical double entendre, if there could ever be such a thing!
Cheers