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a priori

in principle

adverb ah-pree-oh-REE Rare
Grammar & Structure Adverbs

Origin: Latin a priori, 'from what comes before'

Also means

presumably

Usage Note

A priori is used in French both in its strict philosophical sense (reasoning from premises without empirical evidence) and very commonly in everyday speech to mean 'presumably' or 'on the face of it' — a priori, il sera là means 'presumably he'll be there'. It is written in italics in formal texts. The opposite is a posteriori.

Examples

"A priori, la réunion aura lieu demain."

Natural Translation

In principle, the meeting will take place tomorrow.

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