fait accompli
/ˌfeɪt.əˈkɔm.pli/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.19 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Something which has already happened, before those affected had the chance to raise objections or queries; especially, such a thing that cannot be undone.
noun
An action or establishment that cannot be undone.
Example Sentences
- "Thanks to a bureaucratic fait accompli, the demolition was already approved and has already started."
- "Mr. Quiverful's appointment to the hospital was, however, a fait accompli, and Mr. Harding's acquiescence in that appointment was not less so."
- "“In quarters where the fait accompli is an object of solicitude,” said Yeovil."
- "The phrase “Spanish Conquest” and all it implies has come down through history because the Spaniards were so concerned to depict their endeavors as conquests and pacifications, as contracts fulfilled, as providential intention, as faits accomplis."
- "[Hal] Varian awards surveillance capitalists the privilege of the experimenter's role, and this is presented as another casual fait accompli."
- "Near-synonyms: done deal, water under the bridge"
Etymology
Inflected Forms
Phrases
Pandora's box has been opened
that genie is out of the bottle
that horse is out of the barn
that ship has sailed
that train has left the station
Frequently Paired Words
accomplished
established
Pandora's box has been opened
that genie is out of the bottle
that horse is out of the barn
that ship has sailed
that train has left the station
end run