sequential
Americanadjective
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characterized by regular sequence of parts.
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Business. by comparison with the immediately preceding period, usually a fiscal quarter.
a sequential increase in gross profit.
adjective
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characterized by or having a regular sequence
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another word for sequent
Other Word Forms
- nonsequential adjective
- nonsequentiality noun
- sequentiality noun
- sequentially adverb
- unsequential adjective
Etymology
Origin of sequential
Explanation
Use the word sequential to describe something that has a particular order, like a recipe for chocolate chip cookies whose steps must be followed in a sequential order. If you make a list of things you need to do, starting with number 1 and continuing until all your tasks are accounted for, then you’ve made a sequential list. Something that is sequential often follows a numerical or alphabetical order, but it can also describe things that aren’t numbered but still need to take place in a logical order, such as the sequential steps you follow for running a program on your computer.
Vocabulary lists containing sequential
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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Expository Writing, List 2
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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.
That other Greek concept is chronos, which refers to chronological or sequential time and is quantitative.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
Analysts at Citi said that Temu, PDD’s overseas business, likely experienced a sequential rebound in gross merchandise value in the fourth quarter, helped by holiday-season demand and a normalization in tariff policy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Oracle was able to show a sequential improvement in operating margin thanks to recent headcount reductions, as the company is using more AI tools internally to drive productivity and efficiency.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
“Our new businesses progressed in line with our strategic roadmap, with food delivery steadily expanding in scale while narrowing sequential losses every quarter since its launch.”
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
The list of all such sequential orderings is below, with the number 1 representing, as before, the suitor Myrtle would most prefer, 2 her second choice, etc.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
