inconsequential
Americanadjective
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not following logically as a consequence
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trivial or insignificant
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not in a logical sequence; haphazard
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inconsequential
First recorded in 1615–25; in- 3 + consequential
Explanation
If something is considered of little worth or importance, it is inconsequential. If astronomers forecast a tremendous meteor shower, it might turn out to be no more than space junk, too inconsequential to record. You can use the adjective inconsequential to describe things that just don’t matter or are of no relevance, as in "the rainy forecast is totally inconsequential — the bowling tournament is inside!" It also describes things that don't make sense in a certain order, "trying to win their votes is inconsequential: the election's over." Something small or minor can be inconsequential too, though the red bump on your nose on picture-day may not seem as inconsequential to you as it does to the photographer.
Vocabulary lists containing inconsequential
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Latin Love, Vol III: seguire
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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.
Some commenters zero in on seemingly inconsequential details.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
I no longer worry how others might judge me on something so relatively inconsequential, this habit of talking to strangers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
And, as usual, whatever he says afterward is inconsequential and often irrelevant to the action he has already taken.
From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026
Computing expert and AI safety campaigner Stuart Russell told AFP that Saturday's commitments were "not completely inconsequential".
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
He could engross himself in an inconsequential task for hours without growing restless or bored, as oblivious to fatigue as the stump of a tree, and almost as taciturn.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
