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Synonyms

non sequitur

American  
[non sek-wi-ter, -toor, nohn se-kwi-toor] / nɒn ˈsɛk wɪ tər, -ˌtʊər, noʊn ˈsɛ kwɪˌtʊər /

noun

  1. Logic. an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.

  2. a statement containing an illogical conclusion.

    The built environment has to be more presentable than it was in the past, but it's a non sequitur to claim that this must occur at the expense of cultural value.

  3. something said or written that is unrelated to what immediately precedes.

    Your comment is at best a non sequitur, and bears zero relevance to the issue at point.

  4. an illogical or unconnected shift from one thing to another.

    The Tibetan prints to the right of the formal portrait—with their religious figures and mandala-like patterns—initially seem like a non sequitur.
non sequitur British  
/ ˈnɒn ˈsɛkwɪtə /

noun

  1. a statement having little or no relevance to what preceded it

  2. logic a conclusion that does not follow from the premises

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
non sequitur Cultural  

  1. A thought that does not logically follow what has just been said: “We had been discussing plumbing, so her remark about astrology was a real non sequitur.” Non sequitur is Latin for “It does not follow.”

Etymology

Origin of non sequitur

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin nōn sequitur “it does not follow”

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.

His answer, that cloud computing “is not intrinsically privileged in any case,” is a non sequitur.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

The latter was a bit of a non sequitur, however, given that the EU fine was tied to allegations of deceptive business practices, transparency issues, and a failure to provide public data to researchers.

From Barron's • Dec. 8, 2025

While the second sentence of this quote is generally true, the first sentence is a non sequitur.

From Slate • Nov. 24, 2025

"The problem is, if you do state funding, then you’re tied to it," she explained, not even bothering to come up with a more plausible-sounding non sequitur.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2025

Spoon was, in fact, so excited that he skipped his customary non sequitur.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

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.