consequential
Americanadjective
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following as an effect, result, or outcome; resultant; consequent.
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following as a logical conclusion or inference; logically consistent.
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of significance or importance.
His writings offer insight into his personality, opinions, and strengths, and show early evidence of the consequential man he would become.
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having important effects or results.
Being a lawyer, I knew that a consequential decision should not depend on an informal phone conversation.
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Archaic. self-important; pompous.
adjective
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important or significant
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self-important; conceited
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following as a consequence; resultant, esp indirectly
consequential loss
Usage
Although both consequential and consequent can refer to something which happens as the result of something else, consequent is more common in this sense in modern English: the new measures were put into effect, and the consequent protest led to the dismissal of those responsible
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consequential
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin consequenti(a) “sequence (of events), logical sequence” + -al adjective suffix; see consequence, -al 1
Explanation
Things that are consequential are important — extremely important. Electing a new president and having a baby are consequential. Killing a fly? Not so much. It might help you remember the meaning of consequential to think of consequences — the results of something. Consequential events have consequences, because they are hugely important events. A little bit of rain isn't consequential, but a hurricane is very consequential. Slipping on the sidewalk is not usually consequential, but if you slip and end up in the hospital, that is definitely consequential. It's occasionally hard to tell whether something is consequential, at least until some time has passed.
Vocabulary lists containing consequential
Vocabulary from Hillary Clinton's Concession Speech, November 9, 2016
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Pax
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"How the Media Twists the News"
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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.
Although it's not the first lawsuit that seeks to hold a social media company accountable for mental health and safety issues, it could become one of the most consequential.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
“History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
“The holy grail of prediction markets, they shed light on some of the most consequential, decentralized and human processes in the world, where good data is crucial and hard to find.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The former American diplomat and veteran Middle East negotiator, Aaron David Miller, said the Israeli leader is facing "the most consequential election" of his political life.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
In the long run, Fenn says, the consequential finding of the new scholarship is not that many people died but that many people lived.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions 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.
