[eks pohst fak-toh] 
| 1. | from or by subsequent action; subsequently; retrospectively; retroactively. |
| 2. | having retroactive force; made or done subsequently: an ex post facto law. |
| ex post fac·to (ěks' pōst fāk'tō) adj. Formulated, enacted, or operating retroactively. Used especially of a law. [Latin ex postfactō : ex, from + postfactō, ablative of postfactum, that which is done afterward.] |
An explanation or regulation concocted after the event, sometimes misleading or unjust: “Your ex post facto defense won't stand up in court.” (See ex post facto law.) From Latin, meaning “after the deed.”
A descriptive term for an explanation or a law that is made up after an event and then applied to it: “The chairman's description of his plan sounds like an ex post facto attempt to justify an impulsive action.” Ex post facto is Latin for “from after the deed.”
