subsequent

Subsequent is an English adjective that means coming after something else in time or order. It is used to describe events, actions, or items that follow what has been mentioned or established. The term is common in formal writing, including legal opinions, academic prose, and journalism. Typical collocations include subsequent events, subsequent chapters, and subsequent developments. The phrase subsequent to is used to specify that something occurs after a referenced point, as in “subsequent to the committee’s deliberation.”

Etymology and origins: Subsequente, later Latin subsequens, from sub- (following) and sequi (to follow). The English form appeared in the Middle Ages and developed into a formal adjective kept in modern usage for precise sequencing.

Usage notes: Subsequent typically appears before a noun, as in subsequent decisions or subsequent years. It can also appear in the fixed expression subsequent to, meaning after. The adverb form subsequently is commonly used to indicate that something happens after a referenced event, often in narrative or expository writing. In everyday language, synonyms such as following, ensuing, or later may be preferred for ease of reading, while subsequent carries a more formal tone.

Contexts: In law, contracts, and technical writing, subsequent events or subsequent sections often refer to what occurs after a defined date, clause, or prior event. In scholarly writing, stating the subsequent developments helps to structure a chronology. Subsequents are contrasted with previous or prior items to emphasize progression or causality.

See also: following, ensuing, later, successively, subsequently.