natural consequence
Inevitable following effect
A natural consequence is an outcome that follows directly from an action without outside intervention—the logical result of cause and effect.
If a child refuses to wear a coat, the natural consequence is feeling cold.
The term appears often in parenting discussions, where allowing natural consequences teaches responsibility: We let him experience the natural consequences of not studying.
Distinguished from punishments imposed by others.
- outcomeFinal result of events
- resultWhat follows a cause
- cause and effectHow events produce results
- aftermathResults following an event
- repercussionIndirect result of action
fallout · cause · effect · karma · punishment · lesson · learning the hard way · inevitable · logical · deserved · reap · sow · what goes around · comeuppance · just deserts · backlash · ripple · domino
- disciplinemisconduct, violation, time-out, timeout, grounded
- legal causationcausal chain, direct cause, sine qua non, indirect cause, causal link
- consequencesresult, results, effect, outcome, aftermath
- complicityaccomplice, aiding, abetting, complicity, co-conspirator
natural, consequence, nature, natures, naturally, naturalness, naturalism, naturalist, naturalistic