A priori


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Essential French Expression

Meaning	at first sight, in principle; should
Literally	from the earlier
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[ah pree uh ree]
IPA		[a pri jɔ ʁi]

Usage notes: I’ve never heard the Latin phrase a priori in English, though apparently it’s used in philosophy and statistics. But in French, a priori is a common, everyday expression meaning "at first sight" or "in principle."

Par exemple…

A priori, oui.		At first sight, yes. My initial response is yes.
On commence à 19h, a priori.		We start at 7pm normally.

Note that there is no accent on the a – it’s not ~~à priori~~.

Synonyms

à première vue – at first sight
au début – at first, in the beginning
au départ – at the outset
au premier abord – at first sight, initially
en principe – in principle

It’s often more natural to translate a priori somewhat loosely, along the lines of "seems to be" or "should."

Par exemple…

A priori, c’est une bonne idée !		That seems like a good idea!
Le feu, a priori d’origine accidentelle, a pris dans le dépôt.		The fire, which seems to have been accidental, began in the warehouse.
A priori, il arrivera vers midi.		He should / He’s supposed to arrive around noon.

Synonyms

devoir in the conditional – should
être censé – to be supposed to
normalement – normally, if all goes as expected
sembler être – to seem to be

Antonym: a posteriori – after the event, upon consideration, with hindsight

A priori can also mean "without any consideration" or "point blank."

Par exemple…

Il ne faut pas refuser a priori.		You shouldn’t refuse without considering it.
Elle a rejeté a priori notre proposition.		She rejected our proposal point-blank.

Synonyms

à brûle-pourpoint – brusquely
catégoriquement – point-blank, categorically
de but en blanc – suddenly, just like that
en bloc – out of hand, outright
nettement – flatly, clearly
tout net – flatly, clearly

A priori is also an invariable noun meaning "prejudice" or "bias."

Par exemple…

Les a priori n’ont aucune place dans la justice.		Bias has no place in justice.
Considerez les faits sans a priori.		Consider the facts with an open mind.

Synonyms