The Meaning of Subsequent: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of subsequent? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word subsequent, including its definition, usage, word origin, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word subsequent mean?

According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, American Heritage, and the Collins English Dictionary, the word subsequent is an adjective that means following in time, order, or place. Many different things can be subsequent, including subsequent editions of a magazine, subsequent actions following something, a subsequent crash, subsequent implementation, subsequent rock, a subsequent claim, subsequent overcompaction, and many more. Subsequent has three syllables – sub-se-quent, and the pronunciation of subsequent is ˈsʌbsɪkwənt.

The word subsequent is also present in many other languages. You may notice that the below translations of subsequent sometimes look similar to the English translation of subsequent itself. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. These are often formed when two words in different languages have the same language of origin or root word. The below list of translations of subsequent is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Dutch: volgend‎
  •  Polish: kolejny‎, dalszy‎, późniejszy‎ (masc.)
  •  Czech: následující‎
  •  Italian: successivo‎
  •  Spanish: subsiguiente‎, posterior‎
  •  Mandarin: 隨後‎, 随后‎
  •  Russian: после́дующий‎, сле́дующий‎, дальне́йший‎
  •  Portuguese: subsequente‎, seguinte‎
  •  French: subséquent‎, suivant‎, prochain‎
  •  Finnish: seuraava‎
  •  Bokmål: påfølgende‎
  •  Hungarian: későbbi‎, azutáni‎, rákövetkező‎
  •  Catalan: subsegüent‎
  •  German: anschließend‎, später‎, darauffolgend‎, folgend‎
  •  Greek: μεταγενέστερος‎ (masc.), ύστερος‎ (masc.)

What is the origin of the word subsequent?

According to Etymonline, the word subsequent has been used since the middle of c15 in Late Middle English and comes from the Old French subsequent, a c14 word. These come from the Latin subsequentem, from the nominative subsequens/Latin subsequēns and the present participle of subsequī/present participle of subsequi, which means to come after in time, of figuratively, to imitate. This word is formed from the prefix sub meaning closely or up to, and sequi/sequī meaning to follow, from the Proto-Indo-European roots sekw. One can add the suffixes ly, ial, and ence to form the related words subsequently (adv.), subsequential (adj.) and subsequence (n.) This word is commonly used in both American English and British English grammar. This is one of many common words used in ordinary English.

How can the word subsequent be used in a sentence?

Below are several examples of subsequent. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today – it could become your new favorite word!

The viral sequences on a number of videos on the channel in its early days made the subsequent sequences look terrible in comparison. The subsequent number of views on the social media platform services were much lower than the initial videos.

The Mardi Gras outbreak of disease in Louisiana caused numerous subsequent problems. People were worried about the peak of illness and stayed home, thus causing an erosion of the local economy during what was already a softening of the global economy. 

The police apprehended the bike riding criminals. After they ran the gamut to catch him, his subsequent conviction and arrest were lauded by the citizens. They had felt high pressures to catch those responsible for the theft of the vehicle and the theft of the items, and they knew that in a subsequent case they could use their knowledge and the impact of the mass arrests to work smarter.

The scientists found that the muscle movement had great influence on the subsequent brain connection. However, in a subsequent study, Kamil’s team found an adverse trend on the rate of population growth. He didn’t believe these were correlated, but the trend against strong growth was still troubling.

They made an app where you could tap dictionary links that were connected to the largest database of English words translated into Hindi utilizing a search history function. While it was initially released on iPhone, the Android application was subsequently released. It even included instant word meaning during offline use.

The subsequent effects of the earthquake were devastating. The calculation of funds needed to build a new path for people to get to work cost millions, and in the climate of fear in the country, the means of primary legislation didn’t have the courage to spend it.

Mr Milford’s conviction and dismissal from Princeton University led to the former band leader’s subsequent success when he was offered the open position. He split from his job teaching at a middle school and was connected by his good friend to the open music position.

What are synonyms and antonyms of subsequent?

Numerous different words and phrases can be used in place of the word subsequent. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to add to your English vocabulary, and learning synonyms can also help you avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms of subsequent is provided by Thesaurus

  •  postliminary
  •  resultant
  •  following
  •  sequential
  •  succeeding
  •  resulting
  •  proximate
  •  later
  •  successive
  •  ensuing
  •  next
  •  consequent
  •  sequent
  •  consecutive
  •  serial
  •  subsequential
  •  consequential
  •  posterior
  •  after
  •  successional

There are also many different words and phrases that have the opposite meaning as the word subsequent (sub-sekw-int). These opposite words are known as antonyms, which are another quick and easy way to add to your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms of subsequent is also provided by Thesaurus

  •  in advance
  •  ere
  •  fore
  •  ahead of
  •  prior to
  •  in the past
  •  in front
  •  ante
  •  in front of
  •  before
  •  precendently
  •  antecedent to
  •  previously
  •  gone by
  •  before present
  •  previous to
  •  in days of yore
  •  aforetime
  •  previous
  •  since
  •  up to now
  •  ahead
  •  preceding
  •  afore
  •  past
  •  heretofore
  •  earlier
  •  anteriorly
  •  in old days
  •  in advance of
  •  former
  •  forward
  •  formerly
  •  anterior to
  •  back
  •  gone
  •  antecedently
  •  sooner

Overall, the word subsequent means following or after. This word is of French and Latin origin.

Sources:

  1. subsequent | Origin and meaning of subsequent | Online Etymology Dictionary 
  2. subsequent: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  3. SUBSEQUENT Synonyms: 25 Synonyms & Antonyms for SUBSEQUENT | Thesaurus 
  4. BEFORE Synonyms: 47 Synonyms & Antonyms for BEFORE | Thesaurus 
  5. Subsequent | Definition of Subsequent | Merriam-Webster