Ex Post Facto

C2 16+

Pronunciation: /ɛks poʊst ˈfæk.toʊ/

Definitions of ex post facto

adjective relating to or being a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of actions that were committed, or relationships that existed, before the enactment of the law

Example Sentences

A1 I don't understand the concept of ex post facto laws.

A2 The new policy cannot be applied ex post facto.

B1 The ex post facto decision caused confusion among the employees.

B2 The ex post facto changes to the contract were unexpected.

C1 The ex post facto analysis revealed flaws in the original study design.

C2 The ex post facto justification for the decision was not convincing.

adverb in a manner that applies retroactively

Example Sentences

A1 I didn't know the rules beforehand, so I can't be punished ex post facto.

A2 The new law cannot be applied ex post facto to previous cases.

B1 The company changed its policy ex post facto, causing confusion among employees.

B2 The court ruled that the regulation could not be enforced ex post facto.

C1 The government's decision to implement the tax law ex post facto was met with criticism.

C2 The retrospective application of the new regulation ex post facto raised concerns among legal experts.

Examples of ex post facto in a Sentence

formal The new law cannot be applied ex post facto to punish past actions.

informal You can't get in trouble for something that wasn't against the rules ex post facto.

slang They can't retroactively punish you for that, it's ex post facto.

figurative Trying to change the rules ex post facto is like moving the goalposts after the game has ended.

Grammatical Forms of ex post facto

past tense

ex post factoed

plural

ex post factos

comparative

more ex post facto

superlative

most ex post facto

present tense

ex post facts

future tense

will be ex post facto

perfect tense

have been ex post facto

continuous tense

is being ex post facto

singular

ex post facto

positive degree

ex post facto

infinitive

to ex post facto

gerund

ex post factoring

participle

ex post factoing

Origin and Evolution of ex post facto

First Known Use: 1601 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The phrase 'ex post facto' is Latin in origin, derived from the Latin phrase meaning 'from a thing done afterward.'
Evolution of the word: Originally used in legal contexts to refer to laws that retroactively change the legal consequences of actions that were committed before the enactment of the law. Over time, the phrase has come to be used more broadly to describe any retrospective application of a new standard or rule.