Consequential

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌkɑnsɪˈkwɛnʃəl/

Definitions

1. Having significant effects or importance; resulting in notable outcomes or implications
2. important and producing significant effects or results
3. of considerable importance or having substantial impact on what follows

Etymology: "Consequential" is a plain formation: the adjective "consequent" with the suffix "-ial" added. "Consequent" itself comes from Latin "consequens," the present participle of "consequi," meaning "to follow closely" or "to follow after," built from "com-" (together, with) and "sequi" (to follow). So the root idea is something that comes after and is tied to what precedes it. Over time the suffix did most of the work in separating the two words. "Consequent" came to mean "following as a result," while "consequential" took on the sense of mattering, of having weighty results. In modern English, "consequential" usually describes something important enough to change outcomes, as in a "consequential decision," and it is often used in contrast to trivial matters.

Synonyms: significant, important, meaningful, notable, substantial

Antonyms: insignificant, trivial, negligible, unimportant, minor