as in tangent
a statement that is not connected in a logical or clear way to anything said before it
We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.
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Recent Examples of non sequitur
Either way, a focus on central banks amid bad policy is a non sequitur precisely due to the fact that when economic policy is good, money in circulation is plentiful without regard to what central banks do.
—
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Long before Neeson would inherit the detective badge and a full clip of non sequiturs, Paramount announced Ed Helms would be taking on the Drebin role in 2013 with writers behind the Night at the Museum movies providing a script to revitalize the Naked Gun franchise.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
Grok’s non sequiturs on the topic have been nothing short of absurd.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
This is a work in which the slapstick clowning and the tricky verbal non sequiturs should be merely the surface for roiling undercurrents of anguish, futility, despair and fear.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Long before Neeson would inherit the detective badge and a full clip of non sequiturs, Paramount announced Ed Helms would be taking on the Drebin role in 2013 with writers behind the Night at the Museum movies providing a script to revitalize the Naked Gun franchise.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
Grok’s non sequiturs on the topic have been nothing short of absurd.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
This is a work in which the slapstick clowning and the tricky verbal non sequiturs should be merely the surface for roiling undercurrents of anguish, futility, despair and fear.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for non sequitur
Noun
-
But it was edited several times for length, to avoid tangents and the repetitiveness of partisan attacks.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Comprising a mix of anxiety, cerebral tangents, and a dash of absurdist whimsy, Nancherla’s first full-length special Hopeful Potato, directed by Eliza Skinner, premieres December 15.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Crucially, the eggs were fittingly fluffy, none of that rubbery nonsense that plague lesser burrito slingers.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 2025
-
All’s Fair is girlboss nonsense.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But the production of new types of slop widens the on‑ramps, allowing more people to participate—just as the Internet and social media birthed bunk but also new kinds of creators.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Nov. 2025
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Tucked away in the rear corner on the opposite end of the trailer, the bunk room features a pair of bunk beds for the kids, along with a set of stairs up to the upper bunk.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The short uses stylized 3D and deadpan timing to explore routine, irritation and faint absurdity.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
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Understanding the absurdity of one trillion anything makes the $38 trillion US national debt that economists have been blathering on about for years look almost sensible.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequitur. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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