subsequent
Americanadjective
-
occurring or coming later or after (often followed byto ).
subsequent events;
Subsequent to their arrival in Chicago, they bought a new car.
-
following in order or succession; succeeding.
a subsequent section in a treaty.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subsequent
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin subsequent-, stem of subsequēns “following close behind,” present participle of subsequī “to follow close behind,” equivalent to sub- sub- + sequ(ī) “to follow”
Explanation
For something that comes after something else in time or order, choose the adjective subsequent. If the entire class fails an exam, the teacher will hopefully make subsequent ones a little easier. Subsequent comes from the Latin subsequi "to follow closely" and means just that - following or coming after. If you say, "in 1990 and subsequent years," it includes 1990, whereas "the years subsequent to 1990" do not include it. When you mention a car crash and subsequent traffic jam or a scandal and subsequent investigation, one follows the other in order but a cause and effect relationship is implied too.
Vocabulary lists containing subsequent
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a recent interview with ProPublica and subsequent emails, he remembered Kao giving the envelope full of checks to Graham’s fundraiser and even agreed that Graham kept the meeting short.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The symptoms are slightly better documented in women - just last month, tennis player Emma Navarro revealed her diagnosis and subsequent decision to step away from competition until 2027.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Following its September rate rise, investors were expecting a number of subsequent moves, each of which would push down prices of French government bonds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Key policymakers including New York Fed President John Williams and Vice Chair Philip Jefferson, in subsequent comments, made clear there was no urgency for a back-to-back increase at the Oct. 29-ending meeting.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
And the subsequent political history of the United States then became an oscillation between new versions of the old tension, which broke out in violence only on the occasion of the Civil War.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
