1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

a posteriori

adjective

Definition of a posteriorinext
as in reasonable
formal relating to what can be known by observation rather than through an understanding of how certain things work an a posteriori explanation

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for a posteriori
  1. reasonable
  2. a priori
  3. good
Adjective
  • The judge then reread his instructions on reasonable doubt before sending them back to continue deliberating.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Deadlocked jurors have deliberated seven days, with one panelist accused of misapplying reasonable doubt, exposing deep divisions over whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children.
    — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of reasonable
Adjective
  • Research into sparse, a priori network topologies, architectures like NeuroFab, start sparse rather than pruning dense networks after training.
    — Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 13 Mar. 2026
  • This sort of a priori justification for ESAs explains a few things.
    — Chandler Fritz, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of a priori
Adjective
  • Jarren Duran hit his 20th homer, a solo shot on the first pitch from Grayson Rodriguez (4-7), to spark a four-run second inning for Boston, which improved to an MLB-best 34-17 since the All-Star break.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
  • General manager Andrew Berry and his staff have done a good job cleaning up their own mess caused by the 2022 Watson trade sinking the ship.
    — Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of good
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

apostatizing
a posteriori
apostle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“A posteriori.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/a%20posteriori. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of quorum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All