as in remarks
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 sequiturs
The non sequiturs, or seeming non sequiturs (like Carol moonlighting as a baseball umpire despite having little knowledge of baseball) abound.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
Brown kept getting sidetracked with tangents and non sequiturs, on topics both momentous and random.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
These sequences can be beguilingly attractive, but their inclusions are complete non sequiturs — blink-and-you’ll-miss-it digressions toward a more engaging film.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 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
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
Brown kept getting sidetracked with tangents and non sequiturs, on topics both momentous and random.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
These sequences can be beguilingly attractive, but their inclusions are complete non sequiturs — blink-and-you’ll-miss-it digressions toward a more engaging film.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for non sequiturs
Noun
-
When asked for comment on the situation, soccer’s world governing body FIFA referred CNN Sports to remarks by its general secretary, Mattias Grafström, on Sunday.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels has pumped the brakes on a plan to close an Upper West Side middle school after a Black student fighting to save her school was interrupted by racist remarks caught on a hot mic during a school board meeting.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Questions and comments will be moderated, read, and answered as time allows.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The strikes and comments suggest the kingdom hasn't been successful in its efforts to intensify diplomatic outreach to Iran.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Detailed simulations showcased that photoelectric feedback discharges can be recreated inside small solid blocks in a lab setting.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In a spiraling feedback, warmer water melts sea ice, allowing more sunlight into the ocean, warming it faster; 2025 had the lowest winter peak of Arctic sea ice on record and the third-lowest minimum extent of Antarctic ice.—
Michael Wysession,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When both of these high-resolution, deep observations are combined (see the overlap), clear evidence appears for that grouping, with what appears to be four globular clusters all found together in a tiny region of space.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The most agonizing and gripping sections of the book for me are the poet’s raw observations about where selflessness can lead you (as in Kimon’s exploitation by his culture, and younger writers) and how self-interest can be a kind of armor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Their phones are monitored, their public speech is restricted, and even private communications can be scrutinized.—
Christina Macfarlane,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Behind the scenes, communications teams often ghostwrite the updates that appear under a CEO’s name.—
Rachel Ventresca,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Non sequiturs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequiturs. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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