Published October 22, 2024 • Updated September 24, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
A priori meaning
A priori is a French adverbial expression meaning “in principle,” “probably,” or “presumably.” For example, “A priori, la fête commence vers 19h” (The party should start around 7 p.m.) It’s also used as a loan word in English, where it has the more formal meaning of “based on reasoning rather than experience.”
A priori pronunciation
The IPA pronunciation of a priori is /a pʁi.jɔ.ʁi/, which sounds approximately like “ah pree-yor-ee.”
A priori example sentences
A priori, c’est une bonne idée !
That seems like a good ideal.
A priori, la fête commence vers 19h.
The party should start around 7pm.
Il ne faut pas accepter son offre a priori.
You shouldn’t accept his offer at first glance.
Où vas-tu pour Noël ? — A priori, je vais faire du ski en Italie.
Where are you going for Christmas? — In principle, I should be going to Italy to ski.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- en principe — in principle
- probablement — probably
- vraisemblablement — presumably, in all likelihood
- à première vue — at first glance
- au premier abord — at first sight, initially
- selon toute vraisemblance — in all likelihood
- en théorie — in theory
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