ex post facto
[ eks -pohst -fak-toh ]
/ ˈɛks ˌpoʊst ˈfæk toʊ /
adverb
from or by subsequent action; subsequently; retrospectively; retroactively.
adjective
having retroactive force; made or done subsequently: an ex post facto law.
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Origin of ex post facto
1625–35; <Latin: from a thing done afterward, from what is done afterward
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ex post facto
ad hoc, a posteriori, a priori, ex post facto , prima facie.Words nearby ex post facto
exposition, expositor, expository, exposome, ex post, ex post facto, ex post facto law, expostulate, expostulation, expostulatory, exposure
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for ex post facto
They themselves got on a higher level, where ex-post-facto parentages were possible.
Somehow Good|William de MorganNo Bill of attainder, or ex-post-facto law, shall be passed.
North America, Volume II (of 2)|Anthony TrollopeNo bill of attainder, or ex-post-facto law, shall he passed.
Elements of Civil Government|Alexander L. Peterman
British Dictionary definitions for ex post facto
ex post facto
/ (ɛks pəʊst ˈfæktəʊ) /
adjective
having retrospective effectan ex post facto law
Word Origin for ex post facto
C17: from Latin ex from + post afterwards + factus done, from facere to do
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
Cultural definitions for ex post facto (1 of 2)
ex post facto
[ (eks pohst fak-toh) ]
An explanation or regulation concocted after the event, sometimes misleading or unjust: “Your ex post facto defense won't stand up in court.” (See ex post facto law.) From Latin, meaning “after the deed.”
Cultural definitions for ex post facto (2 of 2)
ex post facto
[ (eks pohst fak-toh) ]
A descriptive term for an explanation or a law that is made up after an event and then applied to it: “The chairman's description of his plan sounds like an ex post facto attempt to justify an impulsive action.” Ex post facto is Latin for “from after the deed.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.