ex ante
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of ex ante
< Latin: literally, from (what might lie) ahead; according to (what lies) ahead
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Plenty of industries, from aerospace to hairdressers, are regulated by what we call ex ante restrictions, basically the idea that if you can’t prove in advance its safe, you can’t do it or sell it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
And I guess I’m curious about why this is done in the language of We’re tweaking, we’re doing tiny fixes, we’re restoring us to the status quo ex ante.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2026
"Although this judgment comes many years late, I welcome the decision of the General Court that today confirms the need to ban such practices through specific ex ante obligations," he said.
From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2022
He mentioned “a growing miscellany of ex ante regulations that frequently work against the entrepreneurs and consumers the rules are intended to help.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2016
But we are debating ex ante rules versus ex post rules.
From Forbes ● Oct. 7, 2014
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
