consecutive

adjective

con·​sec·​u·​tive kən-ˈse-kyə-tiv 

-kə-tiv

: following one after the other in order : successive

served four consecutive terms in office

consecutiveness noun

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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.

Synonyms

• successive
• straight

Examples of consecutive in a Sentence

the team's winning streak has lasted for seven consecutive games

Recent Examples on the Web

Payton, 32, will be joining Golden State for his sixth non-consecutive season. —Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025

The murder of George Floyd in May of that year touched off protests – frequently violent – in major cities around the country, but the demonstrations in Portland continued for more than 100 consecutive nights. —Andy Rose, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025

The victory secured a second consecutive winning season at 82-80 overall. —Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025

Welbeck was a match-winner for Hurzeler as a second-half replacement in consecutive victories last season, scoring the decisive goals in 2-1 wins at home to Bournemouth in the league and away to Newcastle five days later in the fifth round of the FA Cup. —Andy Naylor, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French consecutif "following one after the other," borrowed from Medieval Latin consecūtīvus "following as a result or effect," from Latin consecūtus, past participle of consequī "to come after, succeed in time, follow as a necessary consequence" + -īvus -ive — more at consequent entry 2

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for consecutive

• executive

Kids Definition

consecutive

adjective

con·​sec·​u·​tive kən-ˈsek-(y)ət-iv 

: following one after the other in order

consecutively adverb

Etymology

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

Legal Definition

consecutive

adjective

con·​sec·​u·​tive

: following one after the other in order

consecutively adverb