Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and this is your regularly scheduled reminder that “irregardless” is a double negative and therefore not allowed. Unless you’re Russian, in which case you can have double, even triple or quadruple negatives if you want to. But not in English.
The word you’re looking for is “regardless”—without regard. That “-less” suffix is the negative. When you add the “ir-” prefix, then you have two negatives, which essentially cancel each other out.
Now, what’s the opposite of “regardless”? Well, technically, “regardless” means “not paying attention to,” so the true opposite would be “attentive” or “mindful.”
If you immediately thought “regardful,” well, I have good news and bad news: this is a word, but it’s so infrequently used that you should probably just pretend it’s not.
That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.