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consequence

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A result of something that happened earlier.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahnsuhkwuhns

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkɑnsəkwəns

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An effect; something that follows a cause as a result.

  2. An unwanted or unpleasant effect.

  3. Consecution; chain of causes and effects.

  4. Conclusion, deduction or inference; the thing concluded.

  5. especially when preceded by "of"

    Importance, influence, or significance.

verb

  1. transitive

    To threaten or punish (a child, etc.) with specific consequences for misbehaviour.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: An effect; something that follows a cause as a result.

Used this way, consequence is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use consequence

  • “Decisions of great consequence are made by the president himself.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

logical consequencenatural consequencenecessary consequencedirect consequenceinevitable consequencegreat consequenceimportant consequenceimmediate consequence

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • outcome

    Something that results.

  • effect

    The result or outcome of a cause.

  • result

    That which results; the conclusion or end to which any course or condition of things leads, or which is obtained by any….

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: effect

result

Antonyms

Sense: effect

inconsequenceRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.