What does sequentiality mean?
Sequentiality means the quality of being arranged or developing in a particular order, with one stage or event following another. The noun is especially associated with chronology, narrative structure, reasoning, and formal processes. Rather than naming the ordered arrangement itself, it emphasizes the fact or property of having that arrangement. For example, the sequentiality of a story concerns the order in which its events are presented, while the sequentiality of a process concerns the order in which its steps are carried out. Although the word is not common in everyday conversation, it can be useful in precise discussion because it distinguishes order as a structural principle from the individual events or items that form that order. It is generally neutral in tone and is used in both British and American English.
nounThe quality of being sequential or occurring in a definite order. It refers especially to the arrangement of events, steps, or ideas as a connected succession.
- The state or quality of following one after another in a defined order.
- The degree to which events, processes, or ideas form a coherent succession.
"The film preserves the sequentiality of the original story while intercutting scenes from different periods."
"The sequentiality of the experiment makes its results easier to interpret."
"The editor preserved the sequentiality of the memoir while correcting minor factual errors."
The plural is grammatically regular but rarely needed because the noun is most often used in the singular.
"The study compares the sequentialities of several historical processes."
Sequentiality is what turns disconnected moments into a story: each event must occupy its proper place in the chain.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sequentiality come from?
Sequentiality was formed in English from sequential, with the suffix -ity. Sequential ultimately derives from Latin sequi, meaning “to follow,” and the related Latin wordsequentia, meaning “a following” or “sequence.” The same root also appears in English words such as sequence, consequent, consecutive, and sequel.
Related word forms
How sequentiality is actually used
A formal and relatively uncommon noun. It is used chiefly in discussions of narrative, chronology, process, logic, and organized systems.
Easily confused with sequentiality
A sequence is the ordered arrangement itself, whereas sequentiality is the quality of being arranged in that way.