supervene

1 of 2

verb

su·​per·​vene ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn 

supervened; supervening

intransitive verb

: to follow or result as an additional, adventitious, or unforeseen development

supervention

ˌsü-pər-ˈven(t)-shən 

noun

supervention

2 of 2

noun

su·​per·​ven·​tion ˌsüpə(r)ˈvenchən 

plural -s

: the act, process, or an instance of supervening

the supervention of an interest stronger than his practical interests

—Susanne K. Langer

Synonyms of supervene

Verb

• follow
• succeed
• replace

Choose the Right Synonym for supervene

follow, succeed, ensue, supervene mean to come after something or someone.

follow may apply to a coming after in time, position, or logical sequence.

speeches followed the dinner

succeed implies a coming after immediately in a sequence determined by natural order, inheritance, election, or laws of rank.

she succeeded her father as head of the business

ensue commonly suggests a logical consequence or naturally expected development.

after the talk a general discussion ensued

supervene suggests the following or beginning of something unforeseen or unpredictable.

unable to continue because of supervening circumstances

Examples of supervene in a Sentence

Verb

They had a quiet, happy life until the war supervened.

it was not the slow-spreading cancer that caused his death but a supervening heart attack

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The reaction One aftereffect Stanley likely did not forecast was the supervening middle-school bullying. — Scott Hocker, theweek, 8 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin supervenire, from super- + venire to come — more at come

Noun

Late Latin supervention-, superventio, from Latin superventus (past participle of supervenire to supervene) + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1636, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supervene

• acridine
• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene

Kids Definition

supervene

verb

su·​per·​vene ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn 

supervened; supervening

: to take place as an additional or unlooked-for development

supervention

-ˈven-chən 

noun

Medical Definition

supervene

intransitive verb

su·​per·​vene ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn 

supervened; supervening

: to follow or result as an additional, adventitious, or unlooked-for development (as in the course of a disease)

the majority of patients die once this complication supervenes

—Scientific American Medicine

Legal Definition

supervene

intransitive verb

su·​per·​vene ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn 

supervened; supervening

: to take place after or later in the course of something else as an additional and usually unforeseeable development with intervening or countering effect