consequent

1 of 2

noun

con·​se·​quent ˈkän(t)-sə-kwənt How to pronounce consequent (audio) -ˌkwent How to pronounce consequent (audio)
1
b
: the conclusion of a conditional sentence
2
: the second term of a ratio

consequent

2 of 2

adjective

1
: following as a result or effect
her new job and consequent relocation
2
: observing logical sequence : rational

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Subsequent vs. Consequent

The English language has many ways to indicate that something has come after another thing, but a number of these words have subtle differences that you may want to observe.

Something is subsequent if it follows something else in time, order, or place. Its meaning is very similar to that of following or later, but it has a more formal tone to it and may imply that something not only follows but in some way grows out of or is otherwise closely connected with what precedes it (“their courtship and subsequent marriage”).

Consequent may also be used of something that follows, but that does so explicitly as a result of something else (“I said an insensitive thing and the consequent argument lasted for days”).

There may be occasions when either subsequent or consequent would work ("her wounding and subsequent [or consequent] loss of blood"); your choice in such cases would depend upon whether you want to stress the order of events or the causal relationship between one event and another.

Examples of consequent in a Sentence

Adjective Weather forecasters predict heavy rains and consequent flooding. Falling sales and a consequent loss of profits forced the company to lay off more workers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Such a reality does not preclude the possibility of significant new operations by either side and consequent shifts in momentum. Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 12 June 2023 The 1957 Price-Anderson Act, which shields the industry from almost all financial liability consequent of a major accident, is up for renewal in 2025. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Mar. 2022 Add to this the chaos due to his policing policies, the charter-school shortage and consequent long waiting list, the loss of taxpaying population, the increase in the homeless population and more. WSJ, 31 May 2023 This has now been dragging on since later 2021, during which time the media landscape in India has been redrawn by the ascent of JioCinema (and its backers Viacom18 and Reliance Industries Limited) and the consequent weakening of Disney’s position as India’s dominant media player. Patrick Frater, Variety, 27 Apr. 2023 As to giving the special motion a priority status, the drafting committee recognized that the protection of the movant from abusive litigation and the protection of the respondent from the delay consequent to the automatic stay both militated in favor of such priority status. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 19 June 2021 Previous inequities in the U.S. education system have contributed to the health gaps in U.S. society that COVID-19 exploited, and the evidence suggests these inequities are growing consequent to school closures. Nason Maani, Scientific American, 3 Mar. 2021 Another set of ideas posits that the spin occurs after scission consequent to forces such as repulsion between the protons in the fragments. Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2021 The complete definition must also include the signals giving rise to fear (antecedents) and objectively observable behaviors (consequents). Dean Mobbs, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2019
Adjective
That reverses years of progress attributed to less smoking and consequent deaths from cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2024 The war in Ukraine and consequent difficulties in stemming the flow of diamonds from Russia, among the world’s largest producers, into Western markets, have served to highlight the complexity and opaqueness of gemstone supply chains globally, and the need for new ways to tackle this. Tim Barber, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023 Many expected that the COVID-19 pandemic, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the consequent arrival of over a million Ukrainian refugees in Germany would benefit the far right. Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2023 The venue then shifts to the sudden appearance and consequent depredations of some supervillain, human or otherwise. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023 However, following a 2022 ruling by the EU’s top court—and consequent decisions published today (auf Deutsch, natürlich) by the German supreme court—the current government is finally backing down. David Meyer, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2023 Although Portland has suffered from some seriously unfair judgment, the city does have serious concerns, like the homelessness, the Antifa explosion and consequent violence. Daniel Scheffler, Spin, 28 Aug. 2023 The system is likely to be stressed later this year by the cratering of the commercial real estate market and the consequent write-downs of banks’ loans on these properties. Lawrence J. White, Fortune, 24 July 2023 Thus, Hannity telling his audience that Democrats used anxiety of the virus as a political weapon led his audience to reject fears around the pandemic, even though fear of the virus and consequent behavioral changes was the right response to COVID-19. Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consequent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "effect, result taken as a precedent," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, "consequence, reasoning," borrowed from Late Latin consequent-, consequens, noun derivative of Latin consequent-, consequens "following as a logical consequence" — more at consequent entry 2

Adjective

Middle English, "resulting, conclusive," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "following logically," borrowed from Latin consequent-, consequens "following in time, following as a logical consequence, consistent," from present participle of consequor, consequī "to come after, follow, keep pace with, succeed in time, follow as a necessary consequence, bring about, acquire" from con- con- + sequor, sequī "to follow" — more at sue

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of consequent was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near consequent

Cite this Entry

“Consequent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consequent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

consequent

adjective
con·​se·​quent
ˈkän(t)-si-kwənt,
-sə-ˌkwent
: following as a result or effect

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