supervenient

supervenient

A sudden storm was supervenient on our picnic.

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Occurring unexpectedly or as an addition: "supervenient" describes something that happens or appears in addition to something else, often in a way that is unforeseen or incidental.
    • Philosophical sense: In metaphysics, "supervenient" refers to a property or fact that depends on or is determined by a more fundamental set of properties, but is not reducible to them. For example, mental states are said to be supervenient on physical brain states.
Usage Examples
  • (The rain occurred unexpectedly and added an unwanted element.)
  • (Moral qualities depend on but are not identical to physical facts.)
  • (The addition occurred without prior notice and altered the situation.)
Advanced Usage

  • "Supervenient event": an event that occurs as an extra or unforeseen addition.

    • The supervenient event of a power outage caused the experiment to fail. (The unexpected power failure added a complication.)

  • "Supervenient property": a property that arises from and is dependent on more basic properties, but is not identical to them.

    • Consciousness is often discussed as a supervenient property of neural activity. (Consciousness depends on brain processes but is not simply the same as those processes.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Supervene (verb): to occur as an unexpected or additional event.

    • A crisis supervened upon the already tense negotiations. (A crisis occurred unexpectedly on top of the existing tension.)

  • Supervention (noun): the act or process of supervening.

    • The supervention of a new law changed the legal landscape. (The addition of a new law altered the situation.)
Synonyms
  • Additional: added to something else.
  • Incidental: occurring as a minor or unexpected part of a larger event.
  • Consequent: following as a result or effect (in philosophical contexts).
Related Idioms

  • Come out of the blue: to happen suddenly and unexpectedly.

    • The supervenient news came out of the blue. (The unexpected news arrived without warning.)

  • Throw a wrench in the works: to cause an unexpected disruption.

    • The supervenient delay threw a wrench in the works. (The unexpected delay disrupted the plan.)