Definition of SUBSEQUENT

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.

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 on the Web

The bank—a pristine example of Googie architecture—was, in 2016, designated a historic cultural monument, but it was doomed to demolition by a subsequent ruling. — Lesley M.m. Blume, Town & Country, "Inside Frank Gehry's Overhaul of Garden of Allah, L.A.’s Most Infamous Corner," 25 Feb. 2019 The initial gathering of candidates was great fun; the subsequent reaping less so. — Vogue, "The 55 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time," 1 Feb. 2019 This decree could have been violated following the Cambridge Analytica scandal earlier this year or subsequent breaches, like the October incident in which hackers obtained access to over 50 million accounts. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "The FTC’s top consumer protection official can’t go after Facebook — or 100 other companies," 6 Dec. 2018 On October 9, the Times reported that the Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed the theme for next year's gala and its subsequent exhibit. — Ella Cerón, Teen Vogue, "Harry Styles Is the Co-Chair of the Met Gala," 9 Oct. 2018 Previously, Lovato released a statement about her health and experiences with substance use following a reported drug overdose and subsequent hospitalization last month. — Emily Wang, Glamour, "Demi Lovato's Sister Wrote a Touching and Emotional Message for Her Birthday," 21 Aug. 2018 Thanks to some dogged reporting by the Wall Street Journal's John Carreyrou, and subsequent investigations by the FBI, DOJ, and SEC, that's all gone up in smoke. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Elizabeth Holmes Faces Criminal Charges, But She Insists She's Not Guilty," 18 Mar. 2019 The subsequent search involved infra-red viewing helicopters, K-9 search teams and hundreds of hours on the ground by the sheriff’s office search-and-rescue teams with help from other agencies, according to the sheriff’s office. — Asia Fields, The Seattle Times, "Official search ends for Seattle hiker missing since Aug. 1," 23 Aug. 2018 During a subsequent search, officers found seven prescription pills. — Pioneer Press, chicagotribune.com, "Mundelein police: Man found with prescription drugs during traffic stop," 23 June 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.