Adjacent Words

Consequence definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONSEQUENCE, n. [L., to follow. See Seek.]
1. That which follows from any act, cause, principle, or series of actions. Hence, an event or effect produced by some preceding act or cause.
Shun the bitter consequence; for know, the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die.
The consequences of intemperance are disgrace, poverty, disease and premature death.
2. In logic, a proposition collected from the agreement of other previous propositions; the conclusion which results from reason or argument; inference; deduction.
Every rational being is accountable to his maker; man is a rational being; the consequence then must be, that man is accountable to his maker.
From this train of argument, the consequence is obvious.
3. Connection of cause and effect; consecution.
I felt that I must after thee, with this my son; such fatal consequence unites us three.
4. Influence; tendency, as to effects. The sense of consequence, in this use, is modified by the words connected with it; as, it is of little consequence, that is, of little importance, small effects will follow; it is of no consequence, of no moment, no effect of importance will follow; it is of great consequence, of great importance, great effects will follow.
5. Importance; extensive influence; distinction; as a man of great consequence in society.
In consequence, by means of; as the effect of.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon; "the magnetic effect was greater when the rod was lengthwise"; "his decision had depressing consequences for business"; "he acted very wise after the event" [syn: consequence, effect, outcome, result, event, issue, upshot]
2: the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual [syn: consequence, aftermath]
3: having important effects or influence; "decisions of great consequence are made by the president himself"; "virtue is of more moment than security"; "that result is of no consequence" [syn: consequence, import, moment] [ant: inconsequence]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 14th century 1. a conclusion derived through logic ; inference 2. something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions <the economic consequences of the war> 3. a. importance with respect to power to produce an effect <a mistake of no consequence> b. social importance 4. the appearance of importance; especially self-importance Synonyms: see importance

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the result or effect of an action or condition. 2 a importance (it is of no consequence). b social distinction (persons of consequence). 3 (in pl.) a game in which a narrative is made up by the players, each ignorant of what has already been contributed. Phrases and idioms: in consequence as a result. take the consequences accept the results of one's choice or action. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L consequentia (as consequent)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Consequence Con"se*quence, n. [L., consequentia: cf. F. cons['e]quence. See Consequent.] 1. That which follows something on which it depends; that which is produced by a cause; a result. Shun to taste, And shun the bitter consequence. --Milton. 2. (Logic) A proposition collected from the agreement of other previous propositions; any conclusion which results from reason or argument; inference. 3. Chain of causes and effects; consecution. Such fatal consequence unites us three. --Milton. Link follows link by necessary consequence. --Coleridge. 4. Importance with respect to what comes after; power to influence or produce an effect; value; moment; rank; distinction. It is a matter of small consequence. --Shak. A sense of your own worth and consequence. --Cowper. In consequence, hence; for this cause. In consequence of, by reason of; as the effect of. Syn: Effect; result; end. See Effect.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(consequences) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. The consequences of something are the results or effects of it. Her lawyer said she understood the consequences of her actions and was prepared to go to jail... An economic crisis may have tremendous consequences for our global security. N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n 2. If one thing happens and then another thing happens in consequence or as a consequence, the second thing happens as a result of the first. His death was totally unexpected and, in consequence, no plans had been made for his replacement... ...people who are suffering and dying as a consequence of cigarette smoking... PHRASE: PHR with cl/group 3. Something or someone of consequence is important or valuable. If something or someone is of no consequence, or of little consequence, they are not important or valuable. (FORMAL) As an overseer, he suddenly found himself a person of consequence... Where he is from is of no consequence to me. = importance PHRASE: oft with brd-neg, n PHR, v-link PHR 4. If you tell someone that they must take the consequences or face the consequences, you warn them that something unpleasant will happen to them if they do not stop behaving in a particular way. These pilots must now face the consequences of their actions and be brought to trial... If climate changes continue, we will suffer the consequences. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Effect, result, issue, event, end. 2. Deduction, inference, conclusion. 3. Connection, concatenation, consecution, chain of cause and effect, dependence of cause and effect. 4. Importance, moment, weight, interest, concern. 5. Importance, distinction, standing, influence, weight.

Moby Thesaurus

PS, Parthian shot, accent, addendum, affective meaning, aftereffect, aftermath, afterthought, amour propre, appendix, ascendancy, authority, back matter, bearing, by-product, cachet, charisma, charm, chorus, clout, coda, codicil, colophon, coloring, complacence, complacency, conceitedness, concern, concernment, conclusion, connotation, consequent, consequentiality, consideration, conspicuousness, continuance, continuation, control, corollary, credit, deduction, denotation, derivation, derivative, descendant, development, dignity, distillate, distinction, dominance, domination, double take, drift, dying words, dynasty, effect, egoism, egotism, elevation, eminence, emphasis, enchantment, envoi, epilogue, essence, esteem, event, eventuality, eventuation, exaltation, excellence, exigency, extension, fame, favor, follow-through, follow-up, force, fruit, gist, glory, good feeling, grammatical meaning, grandeur, greatness, harvest, heir, heroism, high mightiness, high order, high rank, hold, honor, idea, illation, impact, implication, import, importance, incidental power, induction, inference, influence, influentiality, influentialness, insinuation, intension, interest, issue, last words, leadership, legacy, leverage, lexical meaning, line, lineage, literal meaning, loftiness, logical outcome, magnanimity, magnetism, magnitude, majesty, mark, mastery, materiality, meaning, merit, moment, momentousness, narcissism, need, nobility, notability, note, offshoot, offspring, outcome, outgrowth, outstandingness, overtone, paramountcy, parting shot, peroration, personality, persuasion, pertinence, pith, point, position, posterity, postface, postfix, postlude, postscript, potency, power, practical consequence, precedence, precipitate, predominance, preeminence, preponderance, pressure, prestige, pride, primacy, priority, product, prominence, purchase, purport, range of meaning, rank, real meaning, reference, referent, refrain, reign, relation, relevance, renown, reputation, repute, result, resultant, rule, say, scope, second thought, self-importance, semantic cluster, semantic field, seniority, sense, sequel, sequela, sequelae, sequelant, sequence, sequent, sequitur, significance, signification, significatum, signifie, span of meaning, spirit, standing, state, stature, stress, structural meaning, suasion, sublimity, subscript, substance, subtle influence, successor, suffix, suggestion, sum, sum and substance, supereminence, superiority, supplement, supremacy, swan song, sway, symbolic meaning, tag, tenor, totality of associations, transferred meaning, unadorned meaning, undertone, upper hand, upshot, vainglory, value, weight, weightiness, whip hand, worth