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
Every moment on Labor Days is meticulously considered, as Aesop Rock conjoins non sequiturs into a labyrinth of brilliant rhymes and run-ons.
—
Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
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
Jokes abound in Gail Daughtry, some short bursts of profanity and non sequitur, others more cerebral and longform.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
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
Jokes abound in Gail Daughtry, some short bursts of profanity and non sequitur, others more cerebral and longform.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for non sequitur
Noun
-
The conversation is lively, with people often chatting over each other and going on tangents.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
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All in all, the show tackles a thoughtful premise — even two people speaking the same linguistic language will need their thoughts translated — and almost got it right but took a couple of tangents after the halfway mark.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But the jumble of words coming out of Harper’s mouth is nonsense.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Aside from how much human assistance the AIs had, the vast bulk of the submissions appear to be a lot of very convincing nonsense.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On tour, Weir’s exercise gear, including resistance ropes, took up so much space in the bus that others on the tour had to stash their luggage in their own bunks.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
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With about 5 feet by 7 feet below the bunk, a desk fits comfortably as does a craft table, a small futon, and many, many fort iterations.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The luckiest among us endure these quotidian absurdities indirectly, via news stories and social media feeds, their consequences delayed until sometime in the future.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
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Undermain Theatre’s production, directed by Stefan Novinski, leans into the 1942 Pulitzer-winning play’s absurdity and its theme of repetitive human folly, starting with Donna Marquet’s busy set design.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequitur. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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