ex post facto
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ex post facto
Where it comes from
From Latin ex (“from”) + post (“after”) + factō, ablative of factum (“deed”). In Latin, ex takes the ablative case, while post takes the accusative case. (See Wikipedia for a discussion of the grammatical form and usage of this phrase.)
adjective expost facto · expostfacto
- Retroactive. One of them added that it was hard lines that there wasn’t any gentleman “such-like as yourself, squire,” to show some sort of appreciation of their efforts in a liquid form; […] The opportunities of acquiring an abnormal thirst had been here limited; a noble use of them had, however, been made, and
- Formulated or enacted after some event, and then retroactively applied to it. Coupled with the Constitution's proscription of ex post facto laws is a similar prohibition against bills of attainder.
adverb expost facto · expostfacto
- By retroactive application of a law formulated or enacted after the deed in question. What he did was not a crime when he did it, but he was convicted ex post facto.
Talk about this word "ex post facto." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ex%20post%20facto. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ex post facto. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ex%20post%20facto "ex post facto." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ex%20post%20facto.Cite this
@misc{ex_post_facto_2026,
title = {ex post facto},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ex%20post%20facto},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
