subsequent

adjective sub·se·quent \ ˈsəb-si-kwənt , -sə-ˌkwent \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of subsequent

: following in time, order, or place

subsequent events

a subsequent clause in the treaty

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subsequent

noun

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subsequently

play \ˈsəb-si-ˌkwent-lē, -kwənt-\ adverb

See subsequent defined for English-language learners

See subsequent defined for kids

Examples of subsequent in a Sentence

Her subsequent account of her ordeal, "The Upstairs Room" (1972), was a young adult tour de force, winning a Newbery Honor and other awards. Compared with Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl," it is sparer and sterner. —Leslie Garis, New York Times Book Review, 22 Feb. 2009
In the past, collectors would often hand over partial ownership of a painting—usually from 10% to 20%—and take a tax deduction for an equivalent percentage of the appraised value. The write-off on subsequent donations could rise each time the painting's value grew. Donors got a tax break, and museums got the art to exhibit for a period of time each year. Many such paintings were ultimately bequeathed to the museums. —Jeanne McDowell, Time, 20 Nov. 2006
In 1991, the Nurses' Health Study found that women receiving hormone therapy (estrogen and progestin) enjoyed a big (44 percent) reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease, and millions of women were encouraged to begin the therapy to counteract the effects of menopause. But in 2002, the Women's Health Initiative produced a radically different conclusion: Hormone therapy increases the risk of coronary events in post-menopausal women by 20 percent. A subsequent study confirmed that result. —Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 2005
The rate of population growth reached a peak in 1999 and declined in subsequent years.
Her work had a great influence on subsequent generations.
Subsequent studies confirmed their findings.
his arrest and subsequent conviction

Recent Examples of subsequent from the Web

Both moves followed a huge spike and subsequent drop, a pattern all too familiar to bitcoin observers.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "The World's Biggest Porn Site Now Accepts Cryptocurrency," 17 Apr. 2018
Jenkins, a team leader, was asked about another controversy, the arrest and subsequent release from the team of cornerback Daryl Worley, a little more than a month after Worley was acquired from Carolina for wide receiver Torrey Smith.

— les bowen, Philly.com, "Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins: seems authorities 'are trying to make an example' out of Michael Bennett," 17 Apr. 2018
Wagner was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence, third or subsequent offense, and driving while license permanently revoked.

— jonathan capriel, miamiherald, "He tried to help her out of a parking spot. Then, chaos at the tiki bar," 14 Apr. 2018
The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath, which seamlessly blends the story of her own alcoholism and subsequent recovery with something like a social, cultural and literary history of addiction.

— sam lansky, Time, "Leslie Jamison’s The Recovering Is a Remarkable Feat for Addiction Memoirs," 12 Apr. 2018
The town hall was organized following the stabbing death of 36-year-old Joshua Fitzpatrick on Saturday and subsequent arrest of a homeless man who had been released from prison a few weeks earlier.

— brieanna j frank, azcentral, "Stabbing death prompts worry about Phoenix homeless population," 5 Apr. 2018
By that time the Angels had reclaimed the lead on an RBI double from Mike Trout and subsequent sacrifice fly from Justin Upton in the fifth.

— john hickey, USA TODAY, "Shohei Ohtani: Angels' two-way phenom in control as he wins MLB pitching debut," 1 Apr. 2018
The mercurial Boninsegna’s run down the left hand side of the field, and subsequent pull back, fell to the feet of Rivera.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 12 Weeks to Go - Italy & West Germany's 'Game of the Century'," 1 Apr. 2018
But there’s one actor whose absence has already been felt: Glenn Quinn, who played Mark, Becky's boyfriend and subsequent husband.

— megan friedman, Good Housekeeping, "Mark From "Roseanne" Got a Special Tribute on Reboot After Glenn Quinn’s Death," 29 Mar. 2018

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

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.

Origin and Etymology of subsequent

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin subsequent-, subsequens, present participle of subsequi to follow close, from sub- near + sequi to follow — more at sub-, sue

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First Known Use: 15th century

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