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inconsequential

inconsequential

29 7.7
Not important and not likely to make a difference
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪn.kənˈsɛk.wən.tʃəl/
translation icon : insignificante
  • The committee spent hours debating inconsequential matters, like the color of the new chairs.
  • seemingly inconsequential
  • inconsequential behavior

And being inconsequential is is worse than death for me.

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Examples

  • Whatever difference there might be is too inconsequential to result in any legal or moral difference.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The first time I stood on the U.S.-Mexican border in Arizona, I couldn't believe how inconsequential it felt.

    Academic text (2011)
  • It's like stuff that was like inconsequential, but I made it big.

  • Do you often think about how inconsequential you are?

  • It's amazing how someone so inconsequential can make you feel so inconsequential.

  • And sometimes when I think about my own challenges, they feel sort of inconsequential in comparison to other things going on in the world.

  • The details of my life are quite inconsequential.

  • My services are entirely inconsequential to them.

  • And these are the little things that are so easy to write off, as benign, as inconsequential, as no big deal.

  • "Small mistakes," he had said, "that are inconsequential in the lower 48 can be fatal in the north."

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

irrelevant
vsinconsequential
355 3.6

Not related to the subject people are discussing or to the main point

focuses on connection to topic rather than on lacking intrinsic worth
meaningless
vsinconsequential
226 5.1

Having no meaning, value, or purpose

focuses on lacking worth or consequence rather than total lack of meaning
trivial
vsinconsequential
121 3.9

Not important or serious

focuses on lacking worth or consequence rather than everyday smallness
insignificant
vsinconsequential
104 4.1

Not important or too small to matter

is a broader label for lacking worth or consequence
unimportant
vsinconsequential
54 1.9

Not worth attention or notice

stresses absence of lasting worth or consequence rather than mere neglect
irrelevant to
vsinconsequential
32 4.2

Not related to the subject or situation

is about lacking worth or consequence rather than mere unrelatedness
negligible
vsinconsequential
31 5.6

Very small or unimportant and not worth worrying about

frames lack of worth or consequence in general rather than only size
superfluous
vsinconsequential
22 7.0

More than what is needed or useful

focuses on excess quantity rather than absence of worth or consequence
immaterial
vsinconsequential
19 7.2

Not important or relevant to a situation

is more about relevance than the lack of worth or consequence
extraneous
vsinconsequential
17 7.5

Not related or needed and coming from outside

highlights lacking worth or consequence rather than being external origin
nonessential
vsinconsequential
11 4.4

Not needed for something to work or be successful

focuses on necessity rather than the general lack of worth or consequence
impertinent
vsinconsequential
4 7.3

Not related to the topic being discussed

marks lack of worth or consequence rather than simple unrelatedness
inconsiderable
vsinconsequential
3 6.8

Too small or not important enough to matter

highlights lack of worth or consequence rather than size alone
unsubstantial
vsinconsequential
1 7.3

Not solid or real and having little value

is about lacking worth or consequence, not physical substance or reality
nonsignificant
vsinconsequential
  • Specialized
1 6.0

Not important because it may be due to chance or too small to matter

is the general notion of lacking worth or consequence beyond statistics
ignorable
vsinconsequential
1 5.6

Not important and safe to leave out

is about lacking worth or consequence rather than mere possibility to ignore
unessential
vsinconsequential
1 5.0

Not needed for the main purpose

emphasizes nonnecessity rather than lacking worth or consequence
inconsequent
vsinconsequential
9.1

Not important or serious compared with other things

frames the same lack as a missing consequence or effect
unmomentous
vsinconsequential
6.8

Not important and having little effect on events

covers lack of worth or consequence rather than scale of impact
nonsubstantial
vsinconsequential
7.0

Not solid, strong, or important

emphasizes missing worth or consequence beyond physical substance
inappreciable
vsinconsequential
9.2

Too small to notice or to change anything

expresses lacking worth or consequence more broadly than mere size
nonmeaningful
vsinconsequential
7.6

Not useful or important

stresses missing worth or consequence rather than absence of meaning
nonpertinent
vsinconsequential
6.9

Not related to what is being discussed

emphasizes lack of worth or consequence rather than just irrelevance
noninstrumental
vsinconsequential
7.7

Not playing an important or deciding role in a result

points to not affecting outcome rather than lacking intrinsic worth
uninfluential
vsinconsequential
6.3

Not able to change other people's ideas or actions

concerns lack of influence rather than general worth or consequence
immaterial to (someone)
vsinconsequential
7.1

A fact or detail that does not matter to someone

restricts importance absence to a person rather than lacking worth generally

Antonyms

1.0

A person or thing that matters a lot

2.5

Important and big enough to make a difference

How Important

unimportant
54 1.9
inconsequential
29 7.7
negligible
31 5.6

Surface Forms

inconsequential positive
inconsequentialer comparative
inconsequentialest superlative

Morphology

inconsequential = consequential (semi-transparent) = in + consequence + al

For this sense, adding the negative prefix 'in-' to 'consequential' gives a directly predictable meaning.

Etymology

The word inconsequential starts with in- meaning 'not' and uses consequence meaning 'result' or 'importance', so it literally means 'not important' and is a good label for small things that have no real effect.