There is something inherently rebellious about the word regardless. It means ignoring the rules, being feisty, and offering no regard to the way things should be done. Maybe that’s why people want to change it.
INCORRECT
- Irregardless of what you want, your parents’ minds are made up.
- I have put my foot down and will use poor grammar, irregardless!
CORRECT
The best thing about regardless is its devil-may-care attitude. It implies that one is a free spirit who cares about neither grammar nor propriety. When you push it further by turning a perfectly good word into a double negative — irregardless — you immediately cross over into risky grammatical territory. Stick with regardless and you’ll never be wrong.
FUN FACT
Merriam-Webster’s website refers to disirregardlessers as “a small and polite group.” Count yourself among them! You always mean regardless, regardless of how rebellious you wish to appear.