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supervene
verb
su·per·vene
ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn
supervened; supervening
: to follow or result as an additional, adventitious, or unforeseen development
Choose the Right Synonym for supervene
follow, succeed, ensue, supervene mean to come after something or someone.
follow may apply to a coming after in time, position, or logical sequence.
speeches followed the dinner
succeed implies a coming after immediately in a sequence determined by natural order, inheritance, election, or laws of rank.
she succeeded her father as head of the business
ensue commonly suggests a logical consequence or naturally expected development.
after the talk a general discussion ensued
supervene suggests the following or beginning of something unforeseen or unpredictable.
unable to continue because of supervening circumstances
Examples of supervene in a Sentence
They had a quiet, happy life until the war supervened.
it was not the slow-spreading cancer that caused his death but a supervening heart attack
Recent Examples on the Web
The reaction One aftereffect Stanley likely did not forecast was the supervening middle-school bullying.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 8 Feb. 2024
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Word History
Dictionary Entries Near supervene
Cite this Entry
“Supervene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supervene. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
supervene
verb
su·per·vene
ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn
supervened; supervening
: to take place as an additional or unlooked-for development
Medical Definition
supervene
intransitive verb
su·per·vene
ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn
supervened; supervening
: to follow or result as an additional, adventitious, or unlooked-for development (as in the course of a disease)
the majority of patients die once this complication supervenes—Scientific American Medicine
Legal Definition
supervene
intransitive verb
su·per·vene
ˌsü-pər-ˈvēn
supervened; supervening
: to take place after or later in the course of something else as an additional and usually unforeseeable development with intervening or countering effect
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