All 7 Uses

consequence
in
We Beat the Street
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We often made foolish decisions, sometimes got involved in dangerous situations, and frequently suffered the consequences of impulsive behavior.†
Chpt Intr. *
TEMPTATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.†
Chpt 4
We never thought about the consequences and never even considered that our stealing could get us in deep trouble.†
Chpt 4
I wasn't thinking about consequences.†
Chpt 11
It took a long time for me to learn that inappropriate activities always brought negative consequences.†
Chpt 11
They had ratted him out and left him to suffer the consequences alone.†
Chpt 14
When you're making a decision, consider the consequences.†
Chpt Cncl.

Definitions:

(1) (consequence as in: a direct consequence of)
a result of something (often an undesired side effect)
(2) (consequence as in: of little consequence)
importance or relevance
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
In classic literature, consequential may refer to someone with too much feeling of self-importance as when Dickens wrote "Because he's a proud, haughty, consequential, turned-up-nosed peacock."

Self-consequence was used in a similar manner, but is more easily understood by modern readers since important is one of the modern senses of consequence.

Another classic sense of consequent that is similar to importance or significance refers to "material wealth or prominence" as when Jane Austen wrote: "They had each had money, but their marriages had made a material difference in their degree of consequence."