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 After the premiere, five subsequent episodes will air featuring 20 different celebrities, including James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, Ade Adepitan MBE, Dizzee Rascal and more. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'Great British Baking Show' Fans Have So Many Questions About This Episode Announcement," 3 Mar. 2021 The 57-year-old had been laid off and during her subsequent job search had written 86 personalized cover letters – with no responses. — Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, "Third acts: Some older adults are rejecting lives of leisure – on purpose," 25 Feb. 2021 Attorneys defending the idea of allowing such searches argued if police decide to give chase at all that may justify a subsequent search, regardless of the underlying crime. — John Fritze, USA TODAY, "Supreme Court wrestles with when police may conduct warrantless searches after a chase," 24 Feb. 2021 That insight was all but lost on subsequent generations. — Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, "“Judas and the Black Messiah” and the Klan Act," 21 Feb. 2021 The effort that has gained new urgency in the wake of the Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol and the subsequent decision by scores of companies to suspend giving from their political action committees. — Washington Post, "President Biden’s SEC pick signals companies could face wave of new disclosure rules," 18 Feb. 2021 That has been proved as recently as Nov. 3 and through subsequent court decisions. — Star Tribune, "Readers Write: George Floyd Square, Bob Kroll, COVID vaccinations," 24 Jan. 2021 Following the premiere's early release and the subsequent two episodes that dropped on Thanksgiving Day, two additional episodes of The Flight Attendant will be released each week over the next two Thursdays on December 3 and December 10. — Kelly Schremph, refinery29.com, "Here’s How Long You’ll Have To Wait For New Flight Attendant Episodes," 27 Nov. 2020 As a ballet master, Ms. Hendl taught and influenced subsequent generations of dancers who never had direct contact with Balanchine or Robbins. — Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, "Susan Hendl, Ballet Master and Dancer, Dies at 73," 26 Oct. 2020

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.