non sequitur

5 synonyms for non sequitur, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A statement or reply that does not follow logically from what came before, so that the connection is missing or absurd.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

irrelevance tangent logical leap fallacy invalid inference

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A statement or reply that does not follow logically from what came before, so that the connection is missing or absurd.

“Asked about the budget, he answered with a non sequitur about his childhood.”

irrelevance tangent logical leap

2. noun formal

In logic, an argument whose conclusion does not follow from its premises.

“"He is rich, therefore he is wise" is a plain non sequitur.”

fallacy invalid inference

How to use non sequitur

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

a complete non sequitur answered with a non sequitur that's a non sequitur

Educated and slightly formal, but common in journalism and reviews as well as in philosophy.

Etymology

Latin for "it does not follow", from non "not" and sequitur "it follows", from sequi "to follow".

Full origin of non sequitur →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a non sequitur and a red herring?

A non sequitur simply fails to connect: the conclusion or reply does not follow from what preceded it, usually through muddle. A red herring is deliberate — an irrelevance introduced to draw attention away from the real question.

How do you pronounce non sequitur?

Most English speakers say non SEK-wi-ter, stressing the second syllable of sequitur. A classical Latin pronunciation would be non SEK-wi-toor, but that is rare in English conversation.

Is non sequitur hyphenated or italicised?

It is written as two words with no hyphen, and it is now naturalised enough in English that italics are unnecessary. The plural is non sequiturs.

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fallacy tangent irrelevance

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