subsequent
adjective
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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
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
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 9 July 2025
In letters to her son, Incarnation asserted the need for subsequent waves of filles to include more farm girls capable of physical labor.
—Ann Foster, JSTOR Daily, 9 July 2025
New head coach Alan Sheehan’s strong finish to the season after taking what was initially interim charge in February — Swansea collected 24 points from their final 13 games — has helped, as have promising subsequent signings such as Cameron Burgess, Bobby Wales, Ethan Galbraith and Ricardo Santos.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 July 2025
The point is surrounded by nine circles of fire: the one closest to the point moves the fastest, and each subsequent circle moves more slowly, depending on their love for God.
—Mary Jo Bang
july 9, Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for subsequent
Cite this Entry
“Subsequent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsequent. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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