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A Priori for Dummies

adjective

pronunciation: ,eɪ_praɪ'oʊri

What does A Priori really mean?

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Hey there! Don't worry, I'm here to help you understand what the term "a priori" means. It's totally normal to find new words confusing, but together, we'll unravel its meaning.

Alright, so, imagine you're about to bake some cookies. You have a recipe that tells you what ingredients to use and how to mix them. Now, let's pretend you haven't even started baking yet. You haven't measured any ingredients or mixed anything together, but you look at the recipe and can already tell that it's going to taste delicious. How is that possible?

Well, in this case, your judgment about the taste of the cookies is a priori. It means that you can understand or predict something without any prior experience or evidence. It's like having an instinct or intuition about something before you even have all the facts.

In a more general sense, "a priori" is a fancy way of saying that we can have knowledge or understanding about something without needing to experience it firsthand. It's like having a hunch or a gut feeling about how things are or will be.

Now, let's explore another meaning of "a priori." Imagine you have two friends, Rachel and John. Rachel is always late to meet you, and John is always punctual. Would you say that Rachel is a priori going to be late and John is a priori going to be on time?

Absolutely! In this case, "a priori" means that you can make a judgment or expectation based on general knowledge or prior information about someone or something. So, because you have observed Rachel's habits in the past and know that she has a tendency to be late, you can say that it is a priori likely that she will be late again. Similarly, because John is known to be punctual, it is a priori likely that he will be on time.

So, to sum it up, "a priori" means having knowledge, understanding, or expectations about something without needing direct experience or evidence. It can be like having a gut feeling or intuition, or it can be based on prior knowledge or information.

I hope that explanation makes sense to you! If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask.

Revised and Fact checked by James Thompson on 2023-10-27 22:27:34

A Priori In a sentece

Learn how to use A Priori inside a sentece

  • Predicting that it will rain today based on the dark clouds in the sky, without needing to check the weather forecast first, is an a priori judgment.
  • Knowing that all squares have four sides and all squares are quadrilaterals without needing to measure or observe individual squares is an a priori understanding.
  • Understanding that an object cannot be both red all over and blue all over at the same time, without needing to see or touch the object, is an a priori knowledge of color.
  • Inferring that adding two odd numbers together will always result in an even sum, without needing to add all possible combinations, is an a priori reasoning in mathematics.
  • Realizing that a newborn baby cannot speak and understand complex sentences, without needing to observe each individual baby, is an a priori understanding of language development.

A Priori Antonyms

Words that have the opposite context of the original word.

A Priori Similar Words

Words that similar to the original word, but are not synonyms.