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 love affair blossoming on the planet of non sequiturs, the kind of repartee moviegoers used to get with William Powell and Carole Lombard, or Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
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 love affair blossoming on the planet of non sequiturs, the kind of repartee moviegoers used to get with William Powell and Carole Lombard, or Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for non sequitur
Noun
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This sounds like something out of the mouth of a Quentin Tarantino character on a brilliant, oddball tangent.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
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John Malkovich shows up for a tangent that is meant to be expositional, but really only needlessly delays what’s coming.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Every four years, we are told that this is the most important election in history, which is a lot of errant nonsense.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
12 Sep. 2025
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This type of nonsense from [in-laws] is what wears on you over the years.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Wandering through the all-but-empty dormitories today, visitors see the spaces marked by the vertical support poles, which once housed nests of bunks.—
Don Sproul,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
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Deputies then transported him back to his cell, where he was placed on the lower bunk.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But coming from Alexander Karp, the CEO and cofounder of Palantir Technologies, this concern-trolling about a growing censoriousness in ‘the culture’ feels almost intentional in its absurdity.—
Book Marks
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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The result is an absurdity that can elicit instinctual laughter at the grossest imagery imaginable.—
Robert Niles,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequitur. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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