non sequitur

noun

non se·​qui·​tur ˌnän-ˈse-kwə-tər 

 also  -ˌtu̇r

1

: 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.

[Christy] Coleman told the gathering a personal story that at first seemed like a non sequitur.

—Gregory S. Schneider

2

logic : an inference (see inference sense 1) that does not follow from the premises (see premise entry 1 sense 1)

specifically : a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative (see affirmative entry 1 sense 3) proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent (see consequent entry 1 sense 1)

Did you know?

Non sequitur comes directly from Latin, in which language it means “it does not follow.” Although the Latin non sequitur can constitute a phrase or even a complete sentence, in English non sequitur is a noun, and thus it follows that the plural of non sequitur is non sequiturs. Borrowed into English in the 16th century by logicians, non sequitur initially referred to a conclusion that did not follow the statements preceding it. The meaning has now broadened to include statements that are seemingly unrelated to the topic at hand, or that seem to come out of the blue. So if you ever forget the definition of non sequitur, just remember: a penny saved is a penny earned.

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 on the Web

Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025

Either way, a focus on central banks amid bad policy is a non sequitur precisely due to the fact that when economic policy is good, money in circulation is plentiful without regard to what central banks do. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025

Long before Neeson would inherit the detective badge and a full clip of non sequiturs, Paramount announced Ed Helms would be taking on the Drebin role in 2013 with writers behind the Night at the Museum movies providing a script to revitalize the Naked Gun franchise. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025

Grok’s non sequiturs on the topic have been nothing short of absurd. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, it does not follow

First Known Use

1564, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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