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
Some, like the rapper, passed with flying colors, while others weren't sure what to make of the non sequitur.
—
Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 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
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 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
See All Example Sentences for non sequitur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for non sequitur
Noun
-
June 21 – July 22 Wandering down conversational tangents will be especially tempting today.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The original investigation spawned two main tangents involving Becciu, once a leading Vatican cardinal and future papal contender.—
NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Actor James Tolkan, who was Tom Cruise’s no-nonsense commander in Top Gun and Marty McFly’s even less-nonsense Vice Principal in the Back to the Future films, has died.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2026
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The notion of characterizing such a move as anything more than penalizing the public — which is finally balking at more taxation — is nonsense.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Participants can also select traditional, all-male or all-female bunk-style cabins or upgrade to their own private room or cabin.—
Robin Roenker,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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Ramos was found unresponsive in his bunk by Adelanto security staff on March 25.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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All of this readily registers on Barry’s Dada-absurdity meter.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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What the Meme Revealed About Surgical Technology Beneath the absurdity, the grape videos demonstrated real capabilities.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/non%20sequitur. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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