posteriority: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, Academic, Legal
Quick answer
What does “posteriority” mean?
The condition or fact of being later in time or order.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The condition or fact of being later in time or order; the state of coming after something else.
In philosophy and logic, the relationship of coming after or being derived from something. In legal contexts, refers to being born after a specific event (e.g., a father's death). Can also denote inferiority in rank or importance in some usages.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or grammatical differences. The word is equally rare and formal in both varieties.
Connotations
Highly formal, scholarly, and somewhat archaic. May sound pretentious if used in general contexts. No extra connotations in either variety.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both corpora. Slightly more likely to be encountered in British academic philosophy or history texts, but the difference is marginal.
Grammar
How to Use “posteriority” in a Sentence
the posteriority of X to Yin posteriority to somethingposteriority in relation toVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used. Would be replaced by 'later date', 'subsequent order', or 'lower priority'.
Academic
Used in philosophy (especially metaphysics, logic), history, and legal studies to discuss temporal/logical sequence or inheritance law.
Everyday
Extremely uncommon. Would sound unnatural and overly formal.
Technical
Used in formal logic to denote that one proposition follows from another, and in law regarding heirs born after a testator's death.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “posteriority”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “posteriority”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “posteriority”
- Using it to mean 'descendants' (confusion with 'posterity').
- Using it in casual speech where 'later date' or 'afterward' would suffice.
- Misspelling as 'posteriourity' (archaic BrE spelling) or 'posterority'.
- Incorrectly using 'priority' as a direct synonym when the intended meaning is opposite.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a very low-frequency, formal word used primarily in academic, philosophical, or legal writing.
'Posterity' refers to all future generations (descendants). 'Posteriority' refers to the condition of being later in time or order.
It is strongly discouraged as it would sound unnatural and pretentious. Use simpler terms like 'coming after', 'later date', or 'subsequent order' instead.
Yes, the related adjective is 'posterior' (meaning later or situated behind), but note that 'posterior' is also a formal/anatomical term for the buttocks.
The condition or fact of being later in time or order.
Posteriority is usually formal, academic, legal in register.
Posteriority: in British English it is pronounced /pɒˌstɪə.riˈɒr.ə.ti/, and in American English it is pronounced /pɑˌstɪr.iˈɔːr.ə.t̬i/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Link to 'posterior' (meaning 'later' or 'situated behind'). Think: 'POST-it notes are placed AFTER you write something. Posteriority is the state of being POST-ed (placed after).'
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME/LOGIC IS A LINE: Posteriority is a point or segment further along the line.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'posteriority' MOST appropriately used?