REGULAR

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does regular mean? 

• REGULAR (noun)
  The noun REGULAR has 4 senses:

1. a regular patron

2. a soldier in the regular army

3. a dependable follower (especially in party politics)

4. a garment size for persons of average height and weight

  Familiarity information: REGULAR used as a noun is uncommon.

• REGULAR (adjective)
  The adjective REGULAR has 13 senses:

1. in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle

2. often used as intensifiers

3. conforming to a standard or pattern

4. regularly scheduled for fixed times

5. in accord with regular practice or procedure

6. occurring at fixed intervals

7. relating to a person who does something regularly

8. (used of the military) belonging to or engaged in by legitimate army forces

9. (of solids) having clear dimensions that can be measured; volume can be determined with a suitable geometric formula

10. not constipated

11. symmetrically arranged

12. not deviating from what is normal

13. officially full-time

  Familiarity information: REGULAR used as an adjective is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• REGULAR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A regular patron

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

fixture; habitue; regular

Context example:

a bum who is a Central Park fixture

Hypernyms ("regular" is a kind of...):

frequenter; patron (a regular customer)

Derivation:

regular (relating to a person who does something regularly)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A soldier in the regular army

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("regular" is a kind of...):

soldier (an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A dependable follower (especially in party politics)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

he is one of the party regulars

Hypernyms ("regular" is a kind of...):

follower (a person who accepts the leadership of another)

Domain category:

government; political science; politics (the study of government of states and other political units)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A garment size for persons of average height and weight

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("regular" is a kind of...):

size (the property resulting from being one of a series of graduated measurements (as of clothing))

• REGULAR (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

In accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle

Context example:

regular duties

Similar:

standard; stock (regularly and widely used or sold)

well-ordered (ordered well)

weak ((used of verbs) having standard (or regular) inflection)

uniform (evenly spaced)

timed (regularly spaced in time)

official; prescribed (conforming to set usage, procedure, or discipline)

lawful; rule-governed (according to custom or rule or natural law)

first-string (of members of a team; not substitutes)

Also:

rhythmic; rhythmical (recurring with measured regularity)

symmetric; symmetrical (having similarity in size, shape, and relative position of corresponding parts)

systematic (characterized by order and planning)

Attribute:

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Antonym:

irregular (contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice)

Derivation:

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Often used as intensifiers

Synonyms:

regular; veritable

Context example:

he's a veritable swine

Similar:

typical (exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Conforming to a standard or pattern

Context example:

a regular electrical outlet

Similar:

standard (conforming to or constituting a standard of measurement or value; or of the usual or regularized or accepted kind)

Derivation:

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Regularly scheduled for fixed times

Context example:

regular bus departures

Similar:

scheduled (planned or scheduled for some certain time or times)

Derivation:

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Sense 5

Meaning:

In accord with regular practice or procedure

Context example:

her regular bedtime

Similar:

usual (occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure)

Derivation:

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Occurring at fixed intervals

Synonyms:

even; regular

Context example:

the even rhythm of his breathing

Similar:

steady (not subject to change or variation especially in behavior)

Derivation:

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Relating to a person who does something regularly

Synonyms:

regular; steady

Context example:

a steady drinker

Similar:

frequent (coming at short intervals or habitually)

Derivation:

regular (a regular patron)

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Sense 8

Meaning:

(used of the military) belonging to or engaged in by legitimate army forces

Context example:

the regular army

Similar:

standing (permanent)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Antonym:

irregular ((used of the military) not belonging to or engaged in by regular army forces)

Sense 9

Meaning:

(of solids) having clear dimensions that can be measured; volume can be determined with a suitable geometric formula

Antonym:

irregular ((of solids) not having clear dimensions that can be measured; volume must be determined with the principle of liquid displacement)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Not constipated

Synonyms:

regular; unconstipated

Similar:

diarrheal; diarrheic; diarrhetic; diarrhoeal; diarrhoeic; diarrhoetic (of or relating to diarrhea)

lax; loose (emptying easily or excessively)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Symmetrically arranged

Synonyms:

even; regular

Context example:

a regular polygon

Similar:

symmetric; symmetrical (having similarity in size, shape, and relative position of corresponding parts)

Derivation:

regularity (a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Not deviating from what is normal

Context example:

her regular bedtime

Similar:

normal (conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal)

Derivation:

regularity (the quality of being characterized by a fixed principle or rate)

Sense 13

Meaning:

Officially full-time

Context example:

regular students

Similar:

full-time (for the entire time appropriate to an activity)

 Context examples 

From the utter silence there emerged a deep, regular pat-pat.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The analysis also adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, regular exercise, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and other present conditions like hypertension.

(Frequently brushing teeth may help prevent heart attacks, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

His features were regular, but too relaxed: his eye was large and well cut, but the life looking out of it was a tame, vacant life—at least so I thought.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Eclipses have a different range than regular new and full moons—they can influence you for six months or more.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Significant bleeding—a known risk of regular aspirin use—was also measured.

(Daily low-dose aspirin found to have no effect on healthy life span in older people, National Institutes of Health)

Those paths limited the mission's ability to encounter the moons, apart from regular flybys of Titan.

(Saturn Spacecraft Returns to the Realm of Icy Moons, NASA)

Do not include tremor (repetitive, regular, rhythmic movements).

(AIMS - Upper Extremities, NCI Thesaurus)

Regular heavy alcohol intake increases the risk of several types of cancer.

(Alcohol dependence, NCI Dictionary)

During active surveillance, certain exams and tests are done on a regular schedule.

(Active surveillance, NCI Dictionary)

It shall be a regular party, small, but most elegant.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)