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
The non sequitur sends Grace into arpeggios of laughter, but once Dylan is out of earshot, Grace discloses to me that she’s begun to regard Dylan as one of her own children.
—
Barrett Swanson, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Economists were trafficking in non sequitur while at the same time glossing over the fact that work divided looms largest on prices.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
The ornery character actor Richard Kind is his announcer, barking non sequiturs from behind a podium.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
Because this performance more easily could prove a non sequitur as revealing in any way.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Barrett Swanson, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Economists were trafficking in non sequitur while at the same time glossing over the fact that work divided looms largest on prices.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
The ornery character actor Richard Kind is his announcer, barking non sequiturs from behind a podium.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
Because this performance more easily could prove a non sequitur as revealing in any way.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for non sequitur
Noun
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Season 2 is no different, focusing on plane crashes and pilot communication, which sounds serious, but like the first season, Fielder takes many interesting tangents along the way.—
Los Angeles Times Staff,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
-
Avoid tangents, overly complex presentations or cluttered visuals that overwhelm participants.—
Jason Richmond,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
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That's nonsense… and anyone who's been a part of these productions knows that IN FACT the opposite is true.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
9 July 2025
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The song was essentially one long joke about animal noises, and once the joke wore off, what remained was an insanely repetitive chorus of nonsense.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Prosecutors said Garcia was asleep in the lower bunk when Lopez got on top of him and started to strangle him.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
8 July 2025
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Should officials have evacuated the low-lying areas near the Guadalupe River—including the bunks at Camp Mystic—on the afternoon of July 3rd, when the Austin/San Antonio office of the N.W.S. issued a flood watch?—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 July 2025
Noun
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As stocks surge, Chanos has been warning of other market absurdities including the proliferation of Bitcoin treasury companies which raise money to buy and hold the cryptocurrency.—
Glen Luke Flanagan,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
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In his high-energy hour, featuring plenty of material and crowd work alike, which was taped at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, WA, Jackson tackles everything from racially questionable cookies to other everyday absurdities.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequitur. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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