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
Grok’s non sequiturs on the topic have been nothing short of absurd.
—
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
For a show that delivers confounding non sequiturs on the regular (Corporate goat farm?
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
His late-night posts on X, mass emails to federal employees, and non sequiturs uttered on television have prompted even more questions about his drug use.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 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
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
For a show that delivers confounding non sequiturs on the regular (Corporate goat farm?
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
His late-night posts on X, mass emails to federal employees, and non sequiturs uttered on television have prompted even more questions about his drug use.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 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
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Like his film Bacurau, The Secret Agent bends back on its own genre, indulging in tangents and side characters and tonal shifts throughout.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
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An early tangent leads us on a 12-minute detour talking about Bob Dylan.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Reid, who would know, says that’s nonsense.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
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Not to mention the Epstein files nonsense.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The spacious cabin has a combination entertainment-dining area outfitted with two sofas, a full-size kitchen, a private bathroom, and a main bedroom that can fit a king-size mattress (there are additional sleeping areas, including an overhead bunk above the cockpit).—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
24 Sep. 2025
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Once he was handcuffed, deputies placed him on the lower bunk of his cell.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Turn the absurdity up to 11 as well.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
26 Sep. 2025
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As represented by Camus, absurdism emphasizes accepting the absurdity of life and finding joy without illusions, often through gallows humor.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequitur. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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