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
Photo: Paramount/Everett Collection Year: 1980 Run Time: 88 minutes
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker
Stuffing hundreds of punch lines, visual gags, and non sequiturs into less than 90 minutes, Airplane! boasts arguably the highest laughs-per-minute ratio in cinema history.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Or, even better, quadruple down on the lies, insults, and hours-long muddles of sentence-fragment non sequiturs that pass for campaign speeches (Donald Trump, 37.3 percent).
—airmail.news, 26 Oct. 2024
Even if true, this is a non sequitur, since there’s nothing to suggest the handling ...
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 24 Dec. 2024
Economists were trafficking in non sequitur while at the same time glossing over the fact that work divided looms largest on prices.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for non sequitur 
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Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Or, even better, quadruple down on the lies, insults, and hours-long muddles of sentence-fragment non sequiturs that pass for campaign speeches (Donald Trump, 37.3 percent).
—airmail.news, 26 Oct. 2024
Even if true, this is a non sequitur, since there’s nothing to suggest the handling ...
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 24 Dec. 2024
Economists were trafficking in non sequitur while at the same time glossing over the fact that work divided looms largest on prices.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for non sequitur
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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 20 Jan. 2025.
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