Consequential

WORD OF THE DAY

 

CONSEQUENTIAL \ kahn-suh-KWEN-shul \ adjective

 

Definition

1a: of the nature of a secondary result

1b: indirect

 

2: consequent

 

3a: having significant consequences
3b: important

 

4: self-important

 

Examples

Voters handed the mayor a decisive victory in the election, demonstrating that they still trust her to handle the most consequential issues facing the community.

"But while much of the world was looking away, Shinzo Abe, the country's prime minister since 2012, has become one of the most consequentialJapanese politicians of the postwar era."

— Bill Powell, Newsweek, 29 Sept. 2015

 

Did You Know?

Consequential dates from the 17th century and can be traced back to the Latin verb consequi, meaning "to follow along." Consequi, in turn, combines the prefix con-, meaning "through" or "with," and sequi, meaning "to follow." The English words sequel, second, and suitor are among the offspring of sequi.

Henry Fielding's 1728 comedy Love in Several Masques introduced the meaning of "important" to consequential, which had until that point been used primarily in the context of results. Evidence for this usage declined temporarily in the 19th century, causing its acceptability to be questioned by such commentators as H. W. Fowler; it resurfaced in the 20th century, however, and is now considered standard.