Definition of "a priori"

a priori

/ˌeɪ pɹaɪˈɔːɹaɪ/

adjective
comparative more a priori, superlative most a priori
1. (logic) Based on hypothesis and theory rather than experiment or empirical evidence.
2. Self-evident, intuitively obvious.
3. Presumed without analysis.
  Quotations
  While the great critics drew their authority from the breadth of their reading, New Criterion critics often base their authority on an a priori rejection of the contemporary.
  1996, Jeet Heer, Gravitas, Autumn 1996
4. (linguistics, conlanging) Developed entirely from scratch, without deriving it from existing languages.
  Quotations
  Conlangers can also create a priori languages, which have no basis in existing languages. You might be familiar with more a priori conlangs than you think: The Klingon language from the television series “Star Trek,” the Na’vi language from the movie “Avatar,” and the Dothraki language from the television series “Game of Thrones” are all examples of a priori languages.
  2012 November 1, Laura Wright, “UT Language Creation Society invites students to learn origins of newer languages”, in The Daily Texan‎, archived from the original on 26 February 2013
adverb
comparative more a priori, superlative most a priori
1. (logic) In a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation.