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
Another weather metaphor, this one a veritable non sequitur; what does a summer breeze have to do with spontaneity or repetition?
—
Judy Berman, Time, 11 July 2025
Grok’s non sequiturs on the topic have been nothing short of absurd.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
For a show that delivers confounding non sequiturs on the regular (Corporate goat farm?
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
This is a work in which the slapstick clowning and the tricky verbal non sequiturs should be merely the surface for roiling undercurrents of anguish, futility, despair and fear.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Judy Berman, Time, 11 July 2025
Grok’s non sequiturs on the topic have been nothing short of absurd.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
For a show that delivers confounding non sequiturs on the regular (Corporate goat farm?
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
This is a work in which the slapstick clowning and the tricky verbal non sequiturs should be merely the surface for roiling undercurrents of anguish, futility, despair and fear.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for non sequitur
Noun
-
While giving an address, Trump went on a tangent about Meloni's physical appearance.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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When asked by moderator and podcast host Josh Horowitz if there would ever be a spinoff, Esmail took a tangent to answer the question, but wound up at the point.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Checkmate has done lots of covert ops spy nonsense in comics throughout the years, and notable works with Batman on occasion.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
11 Oct. 2025
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The new Tron sequel steps outside of cyberspace but won’t leave the sci-fi nonsense behind.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On the table next to Captain Purdie’s bunk is what looks like a copper coin, a fringe of glutinous seaweed smothering it to the surface of the wood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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Besides the standard touring equipment (avalanche beacon, shovel, probe), visitors need to carry little more than a sleeping bag and a toothbrush, since dormitory-style bunks and hearty meals are provided.—
Scott Yorko,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With a setting both familiar and uniquely alien to all of us watching at home, there are few limits to the kind of absurdities the cast could get into.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
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More than anything, even amid the silliness and absurdities of the medical emergencies, the show’s feel-good moments, which involve people being saved and others working together, depict a deep humanity.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequitur. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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