a priori

a priori — 形容詞

IPA/ˌeɪ praɪˈɔː.raɪ/
IPA/ˌɑː priːˈɔːr.aɪ/

1. accepted, assumed, or present before you look at real experience or proof.

1.形容詞C2
釋義

先驗的

不靠經驗先被接受或成立的

accepted, assumed, or present before you look at real experience or proof.

例句

Talia's teacher called fairness an a priori idea in class.

Talia 的老師在課上把公平稱作一個先驗的觀念。

a priori + idea in formal discussion

Liam questioned the a priori belief that rich children work less hard.

Liam 質疑那種先驗的看法：有錢人家的孩子就比較不必那麼努力。

同義詞
  • presupposed

    neutral and broad; does not always carry the philosophical force of a priori

  • preconceived

    often negative; stresses a judgment formed too early

  • innate

    often describes natural qualities in people rather than formal knowledge claims

反義詞
  • empirical

    based on observation or experience

  • acquired

    learned through experience rather than assumed beforehand

文法句型

a priori + noun (idea, belief, truth, judgment)

be a priori

用法筆記

Common in philosophy and formal writing. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense focuses on what is accepted before experience, not on the reasoning process itself.

常見錯誤

❌The scientist reached an a priori result after ten years of field data.
✅The scientist reached an empirical result after ten years of field data.
💡a priori describes what is accepted before direct experience, not a conclusion built from observation.

2. worked out from general rules or known facts, not from direct observation or exp

2.形容詞C2
釋義

演繹的

由通則或已知事實推得的

worked out from general rules or known facts, not from direct observation or experiment.

例句

Using a priori reasoning, Dario predicted the ice would melt indoors.

Dario 用演繹推理判斷，冰放在室內就會融化。

a priori reasoning = from known principles, not observation

The lawyer offered an a priori argument from cause to effect.

那位律師提出了一個由原因推到結果的演繹論證。

a priori + argument

同義詞
  • deductive

    closest in meaning; broader and less tied to philosophical language

  • theoretical

    broader; may mean based on ideas rather than practice without a strict reasoning chain

  • inferential

    more general; covers drawing conclusions without specifying the direction

反義詞
  • inductive

    builds a general rule from many examples

  • empirical

    based on direct observation or experiment

文法句型

a priori + reasoning

a priori + argument

a priori + conclusion

a priori + method

用法筆記

Often used in logic, philosophy, and formal argument. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names a way of reasoning from general principles to a result.

常見錯誤

❌After seeing the same problem in fifty classes, the teacher made an a priori generalization.
✅After seeing the same problem in fifty classes, the teacher made an inductive generalization.
💡moving from many cases to a rule is inductive, not a priori.

a priori — 副詞

IPA/ɐ pɹaɪˈɔːɹi/
IPA/ɐ pɹaɪˈɔːɹi/