non sequitur
noun
non se·qui·tur
ˌnän-ˈse-kwə-tər 
also -ˌtu̇r
1
: an inference (see inference sense 1) that does not follow from the premises (see premise entry 1 sense 1)
specifically
: a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative (see affirmative entry 1 sense 3) proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent (see consequent entry 1 sense 1)
2
: a statement (such as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said
We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.
Did you know?
In Latin, non sequitur means "it does not follow." The phrase was borrowed into English in the 1500s by people who made a formal study of logic. For them, it meant a conclusion that does not follow from the statements that lead to it. But we now use non sequitur for any kind of statement that seems to come out of the blue.
Examples of non sequitur in a Sentence
We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.
Recent Examples on the Web
The ad ends with a total non sequitur: Trump hugging an elderly Black woman.
—
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
Ultimately, the call for an update of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act amounts to a big non sequitur in search of a fix.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
Hoover haters love to roast her for everything about this paragraph: the idea of parents mocking their kid’s genitalia, the simplistic sentence structure, the non sequitur of the joke.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 8 Aug. 2024
Yet, just as often, these exchanges go off the rails with non sequiturs, silence or, most painfully, faux pas.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for non sequitur 
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Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
Ultimately, the call for an update of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act amounts to a big non sequitur in search of a fix.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
Hoover haters love to roast her for everything about this paragraph: the idea of parents mocking their kid’s genitalia, the simplistic sentence structure, the non sequitur of the joke.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 8 Aug. 2024
Yet, just as often, these exchanges go off the rails with non sequiturs, silence or, most painfully, faux pas.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for non sequitur
Articles Related to non sequitur
Dictionary Entries Near non sequitur
Cite this Entry
“Non sequitur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non%20sequitur. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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