non sequitur

noun non se·qui·tur \ ˌnän-ˈse-kwə-tər also -ˌtu̇r \

|Updated on: 30 Jul 2018

Examples: non sequitur in a Sentence

Definition of non sequitur

1 : an inference (see inference 2) that does not follow from the premises (see ¹premise 1); specifically : a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative (see ¹affirmative 3) proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent (see ¹consequent 1)

2 : a statement (such as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said

We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.

See non sequitur defined for English-language learners

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Examples of non sequitur in a Sentence

We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.

Recent Examples of non sequitur from the Web

The easygoing comic actor snags laughs by his lonesome, simply by providing deadpan reactions and blithe non sequiturs while others strain for effect.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Tag' review: Don't these guys have anything else to do?," 14 June 2018
His music, even since Pavement melted into entropy in 1999, has been jarring and opaque, defined by lyrics that circle around homonyms and puns, or break from generational observations into non sequiturs.

— rob tannenbaum, New York Times, "Stephen Malkmus Doesn’t Think He Was a Jerk," 14 May 2018
Because like most iconic film lines — especially of the non sequitur variety — the joy is not so much in rewatching as reciting.

— jess bergman, The Cut, "I Think About This a Lot: Robert De Niro Yelling ‘You Blew It!’ in Cop Land," 30 Apr. 2018
Rather, Fox News has often used Clinton as a non sequitur.

— alvin chang, Vox, "Nearly two years into the Trump presidency, Fox News is still obsessed with Hillary Clinton," 11 July 2018
The directors play the scene as a non sequitur joke, and as a result, the ending comes off as anticlimactic.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Chicago Underground Film Festival: The Story of a Satellite," 6 June 2018
Coleman told the gathering a personal story that at first seemed like a non sequitur.

— Washington Post, "Black leader brings provocative take to Civil War museum," 21 Apr. 2018
Her response was a bit of a non sequitur, as Stelter was asking about news conferences.

— glenn kessler, Washington Post, "President Trump’s interactions with media: Not a standout in any category," 24 May 2018
What might seem a non sequitur or surreal in Stein is understood as plain speech in Thomson's deceptively straightforward setting.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "Opera UCLA proves Susan B. Anthony, more than ever, remains 'The Mother of Us All'," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'non sequitur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In Latin, non sequitur means "it does not follow." The phrase was borrowed into English in the 1500s by people who made a formal study of logic. For them it meant a conclusion that does not follow from the statements that lead to it. But we now use non sequitur for any kind of statement that seems to come out of the blue. The Latin verb sequi ("to follow") has actually led the way for a number of English words. A sequel follows the original novel, film, or television show. Someone obsequious follows another about, flattering and fawning. And an action is often followed by its consequence.