Inconsequent

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Lacking logical sequence or relevance; inconsistent or illogical in thought or action
2. Not having significant consequence or effect
3. characterized by lack of importance or relevance in thought or conduct

Etymology: "Inconsequent" is the older, less common form of a word now usually written "inconsequential," and its path into English runs through French. It came from Middle French "inconséquent," which combined the negating prefix "in-" with "conséquent," meaning following logically or consistent. The Latin root "consequens" carried the sense of something that follows from what came before, so the French adjective originally described reasoning or conduct that lacked logical connection to what preceded it. English borrowed the sense of lacking consistency, and the word gradually came to mean something that does not follow in logic or in result. The meaning of having no significant effect, which the present definition gives, is the sense that later attached itself to the same stem and eventually became the dominant one in "inconsequential." The original notion of failing to follow logically remains the thread running through both senses.

Synonyms: irrelevant, inconsistent, trivial, insignificant, unimportant

Antonyms: consequential, significant, important, relevant, meaningful