The English language has many ways to indicate that something has come after another thing, but a number of these words have subtle differences that you may want to observe.
Something is subsequent if it follows something else in time, order, or place. Its meaning is very similar to that of following or later, but it has a more formal tone to it and may imply that something not only follows but in some way grows out of or is otherwise closely connected with what precedes it (“their courtship and subsequent marriage”).
Consequent may also be used of something that follows, but that does so explicitly as a result of something else (“I said an insensitive thing and the consequent argument lasted for days”).
There may be occasions when either subsequent or consequent would work ("her wounding and subsequent [or consequent] loss of blood"); your choice in such cases would depend upon whether you want to stress the order of events or the causal relationship between one event and another.
Adjective Weather forecasters predict heavy rains and consequent flooding. Falling sales and a consequent loss of profits forced the company to lay off more workers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The 1957 Price-Anderson Act, which shields the industry from almost all financial liability consequent of a major accident, is up for renewal in 2025.Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2022 Previous inequities in the U.S. education system have contributed to the health gaps in U.S. society that COVID-19 exploited, and the evidence suggests these inequities are growing consequent to school closures. Nason Maani, Scientific American, 3 Mar. 2021 Another set of ideas posits that the spin occurs after scission consequent to forces such as repulsion between the protons in the fragments. Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2021 The complete definition must also include the signals giving rise to fear (antecedents) and objectively observable behaviors (consequents). Dean Mobbs, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2019 For decades, the more common practice has been to play those six-bar consequents twice as fast. Matthew Guerrieri, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Feb. 2018
Adjective
The vehicles themselves pollute only slightly less than a gasoline car because their massive batteries and consequent weight leads to more particulate pollution from greater wear on brakes, tires and roads. Bjorn Lomborg, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 Twitter feed hosts real-time updates on fires and consequent road closures and injuries, alongside retweets from other agencies warning of dangers such as flash floods. Barbara Ortutay, ajc, 28 Aug. 2022 Twitter feed hosts real-time updates on fires and consequent road closures and injuries, alongside retweets from other agencies warning of dangers such as flash floods. Barbara Ortutay, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Aug. 2022 The consequent boil water advisory impacted nearly a million metro Detroiters. Sarah Raza, Detroit Free Press, 20 Aug. 2022 This means that reducing the manufacture and consequent waste of plastic is crucial for India to meet its target of reducing the intensity of emissions in economic activity by 45% in eight years.Arkansas Online, 4 July 2022 The consequent high levels of individual suffering have major cost and talent implications for companies around the world. Kate Ryder, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2022 This means that reducing the manufacture and consequent waste of plastic is crucial for India to meet its target of reducing the intensity of emissions in economic activity by 45% in eight years.Arkansas Online, 4 July 2022 This should have a positive impact on yield, as humans moving around a cleanroom are a major source of particle contamination and consequent yield loss. Willy Shih, Forbes, 24 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Adjective
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin consequent-, consequens, present participle of consequi to follow along, from com- + sequi to follow — more at sue