Consequences

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn.sɪ.kwɛn.sɪz/

Definitions

1. Outcomes that follow from a specific action or decision can take the form of various effects, repercussions, or subsequent changes
2. Results that emerge from a particular choice or event can include different effects, implications, or alterations
3. Results that arise from an action or decision may encompass various effects, repercussions, or subsequent outcomes

Etymology: Its core image is literal following. The Latin "consequi" combined "con-", meaning "together," with "sequi," meaning "to follow," so the term originally described something that comes right after and trails an earlier event. The same root gives English "sequel," "pursue," "suit," and "sue," all tied to the idea of going after something. Early English uses leaned toward reasoning. The term named what logically followed from a set of premises, the conclusion drawn from them. The later sense of weight or importance, as in "of no account," grew from that logic: a result matters because of what it leads to.

Synonyms: results, outcomes, repercussions, effects, aftermath

Antonyms: causes, origins, antecedents, precursors, initiators