a posteriori

See also: aposteriori

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (“involving reasoning from effect to cause, from experience to theory”, literally “from what follows”). Popularized from the 19th century in reference to the work of Immanuel Kant.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

a posteriori (comparative more a posteriori, superlative most a posteriori)

2. (logic, philosophy) Involving induction of theories from facts.

   Synonyms: empirical, inductive ( synonymous outside of philosophic arcanity)

   Antonyms: a priori; deductive

   • 1988, R. S. Woolhouse, The empiricists, Oxford University Press:

     What Locke calls "knowledge" they have called "a priori knowledge"; what he calls "opinion" or "belief" they have called "a posteriori" or "empirical knowledge".

4. (linguistics, conlanging) Of a constructed language, Developed on a basis of languages which already exist. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

   Antonym: a priori

Translations

involving deduction of theories from facts

• Belarusian: апастэрыёрны (apasteryjórny)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 後驗 / 后验 (zh) (hòuyàn)

• Danish: a posteriori
• Finnish: aposteriorinen (fi)
• German: a posteriori (de), im Nachhinein (de), aposteriorisch (de)
• Greek: επαγωγικός (el) m (epagogikós)
• Italian: a posteriori (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: a posteriori (no)

• Polish: a posteriori (pl)
• Portuguese: a posteriori (pt)
• Russian: апостерио́рный (ru) (aposteriórnyj)
• Spanish: a posteriori (es)
• Tagalog: masiranin
• Ukrainian: апостеріо́рний (uk) (aposteriórnyj)
• Vietnamese: hậu nghiệm (vi)

Adverb

a posteriori (comparative more a posteriori, superlative most a posteriori)

2. (logic) In a manner that deduces theories from facts.

   Synonym: inductively (broadly synonymous outside of philosophic arcanity)

   Antonyms: a priori, deductively

   • 1991, New Scientist:

     FALLACIES of the modern worldview have to do with the conception of the world as substance or machinery, mistaking abstractions for reality, confusing origins and truth, failing to attribute feeling to things that feel, recognising ethics as exclusively anthropocentric, thinking a posteriori, objectifying facts as separated from values, reducing the complex to the simple and dividing knowledge into distinct disciplines that produce experts who are often wrong.

Translations

in a manner that deduces theories from facts

• Arabic: البعديَة (alʔbādiya)
• Belarusian: апастэрыёры (apasteryjóry)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 後驗 / 后验 (zh) (hòuyàn)

• Finnish: aposteriorisesti (fi)
• French: a posteriori (fr)
• German: a posteriori (de), im Nachhinein (de)
• Greek: εκ των υστέρων (el) (ek ton ystéron)
• Hindi: अनुभवजन्य (anubhavjanya)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: a posteriori (no)

• Polish: a posteriori (pl)
• Portuguese: a posteriori (pt)
• Russian: апостерио́ри (ru) (aposterióri), по по о́пыту (po po ópytu)
• Spanish: a posteriori (es)
• Ukrainian: апостеріо́рі (uk) (aposterióri)

See also

• ex post

Czech

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaː pɔstɛrɪʲɔːrɪ/, /ˈʔapɔstɛrɪʲɔːrɪ/, /ʔaː pɔstɛrɪʲɔːriː/

• Audio (Czech Republic):

  (file)

Adjective

a posteriori (indeclinable)

1. a posteriori

Adverb

a posteriori

1. a posteriori

   Synonyms: dodatečně, zpětně, ex post

   Antonym: a priori

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Alternative forms

• à postériori (post-1990 spelling)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a pɔs.te.ʁjɔ.ʁi/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Adjective

a posteriori (invariable)

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

Adverb

a posteriori

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

German

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a pɔsteˈʁi̯oːʁi/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

a priori (indeclinable)

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Synonyms: empirisch, im Nachhinein

   Antonyms: a priori; ex ante

Adverb

a priori

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

Italian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a pos.teˈrjɔ.ri/
• Hyphenation: a‧po‧ste‧riò‧ri

Adjective

a posteriori (invariable)

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

Adverb

a posteriori

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

Derived terms

• aposteriorità

Anagrams

• espiratorio

Latin

Etymology

Literally, “from the following, from those things that follow, from those things that are later”. Introduced as a technical phrase by Scholastic philosophers, notably Albert of Saxony (14th century).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaː pɔs.tɛ.riˈoː.riː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː pos.te.riˈɔː.ri]

Adverb

ā posteriōrī (not comparable)

1. (Medieval Latin) In a manner involving reasoning from effect to cause.
2. (New Latin) In a manner involving induction from experience; a posteriori.

   Antonym: ā priōrī

Descendants

• → Czech: a posteriori (learned)
• → Finnish: aposteriorinen (learned)
• → French: a posteriori (learned)
• → English: a posteriori (learned)
• → German: a posteriori (learned)
• → Italian: a posteriori (learned)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: a posteriori (learned)
• → Polish: a posteriori (learned)
• → Portuguese: a posteriori (learned)
• → Russian: апостерио́рный (aposteriórnyj) (learned)
• → Ukrainian: апостеріо́рний (aposteriórnyj) (learned)
• → Spanish: a posteriori (learned)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.pɔstəriˈoːrɪ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oːrɪ
• Hyphenation: a‧pos‧te‧ri‧o‧ri

Adverb

a posteriori

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

   viten a posteriori ― a posteriori knowledge

   • 2009 August 4, Adresseavisen, page 32:

     at 2+2 er 4 som er a priori viten og at vi har sanseerfaring som er a posteriori viten er ikke et bevis for at Jesus ikke eksisterer

     that 2 + 2 is 4 which is a priori knowledge and that we have sensory experience which is a posteriori knowledge is not a proof that Jesus does not exist

References

• “a posteriori” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “a_posteriori” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “a posteriori” in Store norske leksikon

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a‿pɔs.tɛˈrjɔ.ri/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔri
• Syllabification: a‿pos‧te‧rio‧ri

Adjective

a posteriori (not comparable, no derived adverb)

1. (literary, logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonyms: a priori, aprioryczny, apriorystyczny

Adverb

a posteriori (not comparable)

1. (literary, logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonyms: a priori, apriorycznie

Derived terms

adjective

• aposterioryczny

noun

• aposterioryzm

Related terms

adverb

• aposteriorycznie

Further reading

• “a posteriori”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “a posteriori”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a pos.te.ɾiˈɔ.ɾi/ [a pos.te.ɾɪˈɔ.ɾi], (faster pronunciation) /a pos.teˈɾjɔ.ɾi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a pos.te.ɾiˈɔ.ɾi/ [a pos.te.ɾɪˈɔ.ɾi], (faster pronunciation) /a pos.teˈɾjɔ.ɾi/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /a poʃ.te.ɾiˈɔ.ɾi/ [a poʃ.te.ɾɪˈɔ.ɾi], (faster pronunciation) /a poʃ.teˈɾjɔ.ɾi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ pɔʃ.tɛˈɾjɔ.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: a pos‧te‧ri‧o‧ri

Adjective

a posteriori (invariable)

1. (postpositive, logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

Adverb

a posteriori

1. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

Further reading

• “a posteriori”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “a posteriori”, in Dicionário infopédia das Locucões Latinas e Expressões Estrangeiras (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “a posteriori”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “a posteriori”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā posteriōrī (literally “from what follows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a posteˈɾjoɾi/ [a pos.t̪eˈɾjo.ɾi]

• Audio (El Salvador):

  (file)

• Syllabification: a pos‧te‧rio‧ri

Adverb

a posteriori

1. at a later stage
2. (logic, philosophy) a posteriori

   Antonym: a priori

Further reading

• “a posteriori”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• a posteriori | Diccionario de la lengua española (2001) | RAE - ASALE
• Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “a posteriori”, in Diccionario del español actual (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA