ex post facto
adverb
ex post fac·to
| \ ˌeks-ˌpōs(t)-ˈfak-(ˌ)tō
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Definition of ex post facto
(Entry 1 of 2)
: after the fact : retroactively
ex post facto
adjectiveDefinition of ex post facto (Entry 2 of 2)
: done, made, or formulated after the fact : retroactive
ex post facto approval ex post facto laws
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Examples of ex post facto in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
But there are all sorts of ex post facto good reasons for not eating meat. — New York Times, "Do Americans Need Air-Conditioning?," 3 July 2019 But the Supreme Court, led by Roberts, accepted his ex post facto rationale for the ban’s third iteration. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Supreme Court Seems Oddly Ambivalent About Being Lied To," 27 June 2019 The Constitution expressly prohibits Congress and the states from enacting ex post facto laws. — Robert F. Turner, WSJ, "Gina Haspel Followed Faulty Advice in Good Faith," 21 Mar. 2018 Would using an ex post facto diagnosis on the job market give me an unfair advantage? — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, "Can Autism Make Me a Diversity Hire?," 17 Jan. 2018 The leap, the extension, the tapping toes, the viselike grip that nullifies any ex post facto claim that this catch was not a catch. — Josh Levin, Slate Magazine, "The Greatest, Saddest Super Bowl Ever," 6 Feb. 2017 Vote suppression is not the same thing as a one-party state, and any number-juggling that suggests that is just silly, but, sure, put together enough restrictions and gerrymandering and ex post facto laws and so on, and that can add up. — Andrew Gelman, Slate Magazine, "The Bad Research Behind the Bogus Claim That North Carolina Is No Longer a Democracy," 4 Jan. 2017 Applying those changes retroactively, the court reasoned, violated the Constitution’s ban on ex post facto punishments. — Matt Ford, The Atlantic, "American Policing Goes to the Supreme Court," 1 Oct. 2017 Some scholars worry such estimates could be used to justify, ex post facto, the policy’s existence, and feel that Goodkind’s criticisms of previous work fall outside the bounds of scholarly decorum. — Mara Hvistendahl, Science | AAAS, "Analysis of China’s one-child policy sparks uproar," 18 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ex post facto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ex post facto
ex post facto
adverb
\ ˈeks-ˌpōst-ˈfak-tō
\
\
Legal Definition of ex post facto
(Entry 1 of 2)
: after the fact : retroactively
cannot judge ex post facto
ex post facto
adjectiveLegal Definition of ex post facto (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: done, made, or formulated after the fact : retroactive
2
: of or relating to an ex post facto law
the chief concerns of the ex post facto ban— L. H. Tribe