subsequent
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.happening or coming after something else.
adj.occurring or following after a previous event or point in time.
Simple“The first book was a success, but the subsequent ones did not sell well.”
In context“While the initial trial showed promise, subsequent studies failed to replicate the results under more rigorous laboratory conditions.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it modifies.
PitfallThe subsequent of the meeting was positive. The subsequent events were positive.Subsequent is an adjective and must describe a noun; it cannot be used as a noun to mean 'the result'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
adj.describing a stream or valley that follows a path where the rock is easy to wear away.
adj.denoting a stream or drainage system whose course is determined by the selective erosion of weaker rock strata.
Simple“The river followed a subsequent path through the soft limestone valley.”
In context“The development of subsequent streams along the strike of the weaker shale beds eventually led to the capture of the main river's headwaters.”
UsageUsed specifically in geomorphology to describe drainage patterns.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a stream that forms along a path of weak rock.
n.a stream or geological feature that has developed along a line of easily eroded rock.
Simple“Geologists mapped the subsequent to understand how the valley formed.”
In context“The presence of a well-defined subsequent suggests that the underlying tectonic structure has been exposed to prolonged atmospheric weathering.”
UsageUsed as a countable noun in technical geological reports.
Usage subsequent years · subsequent challenge
“Further studies conducted in subsequent years did not deliver a uniform picture, however.”
“Over subsequent decades, dozens of islands across the Caribbean and Pacific entered the expanding orbit of U.S.”
Borrowed from Middle French subséquent, from Latin subsequentis, form of subsequēns, present participle of subsequor (“to follow, to succeed”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.