a priori

[ ey prahy-awr-ahy, -ohr-ahy, ey pree-awr-ee, -ohr-ee, ah pree-awr-ee, -ohr-ee ]
See synonyms for: a prioriapriority on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. from a general law to a particular instance; valid independently of observation.: Compare a posteriori (def. 1).

  2. existing in the mind prior to and independent of experience, as a faculty or character trait.: Compare a posteriori (def. 2).

  1. not based on prior study or examination; nonanalytic: an a priori judgment.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of a priori

1
1645–55; <Latin: literally, from the one before. See a-4, prior1

Other words from a priori

  • a·pri·or·i·ty [ey-prahy-awr-i-tee, -or-], /ˌeɪ praɪˈɔr ɪ ti, -ˈɒr-/, noun

Words that may be confused with a priori

Words Nearby a priori

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use a priori in a sentence

  • Mind, again, as just a-priori principle and basis of all things, is manifestly their universal "Quality."

British Dictionary definitions for a priori

a priori

/ (eɪ praɪˈɔːraɪ, ɑː prɪˈɔːrɪ) /


adjective
  1. logic relating to or involving deductive reasoning from a general principle to the expected facts or effects

  2. logic known to be true independently of or in advance of experience of the subject matter; requiring no evidence for its validation or support

Origin of a priori

1
C18: from Latin, literally: from the previous (that is, from cause to effect)

Derived forms of a priori

  • apriority (ˌeɪpraɪˈɒrɪtɪ), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012