Standard Lemma guide

inconsequential

adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada: /ɪnˌkɑnsəˈkwɛnʃəl/
  • UK: /ɪnˌkɒn.səˈkwɛn.ʃəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 NG K AA2 N S AH0 K W EH1 N CH AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having no consequence; not consequential; of little importance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • You will never know the exact atomic time when you started reading this phrase; of course, that's inconsequential.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unimportant, negligible, trivial, trifling, base, contemptible, floccinaucinihilipilificatious, foolish, for the birds, futile, frivolous, idle, ignorable, immaterial, inconsequential, inconsiderable, indifferent, insignificant, like a fart in a windstorm, meager, mean, minor, miserable, nothingburger, nondescript, null, paltry, petty, picayune, picayunish, piddling, piddly, pissant, pissass, piteous, pitiful, pointless, silly, simple, slight, ticky-tacky, tin-pot, two-bit, unweighty, vain, worthless, wretched

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not logically following from the premises.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something unimportant; something that does not matter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

lacking worth or importance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his work seems trivial and inconsequential
  • the quite inconsequent fellow was managed like a puppet

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inconsequent

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not following logically as a consequence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English consequential English inconsequential From in- + consequential.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: jovendimtar — having no consequence
  • Bulgarian: без последствия (bez posledstvija) — having no consequence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 无足轻重的 (bú zhòng yào de) — having no consequence
  • Danish: uvigtig — having no consequence
  • Danish: ubetydelig — having no consequence
  • Danish: ligegyldig — having no consequence
  • Finnish: vähäpätöinen — having no consequence
  • Finnish: merkityksetön — having no consequence
  • Finnish: yhdentekevä — having no consequence
  • French: sans conséquence — having no consequence
  • Hungarian: lényegtelen — having no consequence
  • Italian: insignificante — having no consequence
  • Italian: irrilevante — having no consequence
  • Korean: 하찮은 (hachaneun) — having no consequence
  • Macedonian: незначи́телен (neznačítelen) — having no consequence
  • Māori: kūrapa — having no consequence
  • Māori: korokororiki — having no consequence
  • Māori: hauarea — having no consequence
  • Māori: hanganoa — having no consequence
  • Portuguese: irrelevante — having no consequence
  • Russian: несуще́ственный (nesuščéstvennyj) — having no consequence
  • Russian: незначи́тельный (neznačítelʹnyj) — having no consequence
  • Spanish: intrascendente — having no consequence
  • Spanish: inconsecuente — having no consequence
  • Spanish: de poca monta — having no consequence
  • Spanish: intranscendente — having no consequence
  • Swedish: oviktig — having no consequence