consecutive
adjective
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Concurrent and Consecutive
Consecutive has a good deal in common with the complementary word concurrent. Besides the fact that both begin with the prefix con- (meaning “with, together”), each word deals with the time-order in which several things happen. Concurrent describes things that are occurring, or people who are doing something, at the same time, such as “concurrent users” of a computer program. Consecutive refers to things that are arranged or happen in a sequential order. A criminal who serves a consecutive sentence does time for one conviction after another. If that person gets a concurrent sentence, he or she undergoes all punishments at the same time.
Examples of consecutive in a Sentence
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
After consecutive incompletions looking for David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy respectively, Browns kicker Andre Szmyt was wheeled out to kick a 31-yard field goal.
—Frank Nunns O'Connell, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Too often mattresses lose their support after consecutive nights of sleep, which makes the trial period quite valuable.
—Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 5 Oct. 2025
The Seminoles broke off consecutive big plays to get deep into Miami territory before the Hurricanes’ defense held firm late to limit Florida State to a 23-yard Jake Weinberg field goal.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for consecutive
Cite this Entry
“Consecutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consecutive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
consecutive
adjective
from French consécutif "following in a series, consecutive," from Latin consecutus, past participle of consequi "to follow," from con, com- "with, together" and sequi "to follow" — related to sequel
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