a priori

Meaning

Adj

1. Self-evident, intuitively obvious.
2. Presumed without analysis.
3. Based on hypothesis and theory rather than experiment or empirical evidence.
4. Developed entirely from scratch, without deriving it from existing languages.

Adv

In a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation.

Opposite of

a posteriori, inductively

Synonyms

antecedent

axiomatic

congenital

hereditary

inborn

inherent

innate

Translations

a priori

a priori

a priori

a priori

a priori

a priori

aprioristico

a priori

apriorisch

priori

von vornherein

à priori

selbstverständlich

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌeɪ pɹaɪˈɔːɹaɪ/

Etymology

First attested in 1610. Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).