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ex post facto

[eks pohst fak-toh] / ˈɛks ˌpoʊst ˈfæk toʊ /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The effects have been so strong that the Fed, in a heroic feat of ex post facto rationalization, has begun to think of asset prices as another transmission mechanism for its balance-sheet policy instrument.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

The issue is not just to admit, ex post facto, that we were wrong, but to think more deeply about why we were wrong.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

“This is a violation of the ex post facto clause of the constitution,” said Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers.

From Washington Times • Feb. 10, 2023

As anyone who’s ever seen a horror movie knows, ex post facto explanations of the monster’s pathology are beside the point.

From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2022

Because Wayna Qhapaq had not actually married Washkar’s mother—the union was properly incestuous but not properly legitimate—the new Inka demanded that his mother participate ex post facto in a wedding ceremony with his father’s mummy.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann



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