ipso facto

adverb

ip·​so fac·​to ˈip-(ˌ)sō-ˈfak-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce ipso facto (audio)
: by that very fact or act : as an inevitable result

Examples of ipso facto in a Sentence

if we refuse to tolerate bigotry, do we become, ipso facto, as intolerant as those whom we condemn?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This implies a gradual increase in cost over the long-term, which would ipso facto raise prices. Michael Lynch, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 Presto, ipso facto, one hand washes the other. Guy Martin, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024 This implies a gradual increase in cost over the long-term, which would ipso facto raise prices. Michael Lynch, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 Any persistent disparity between racial or social groups is taken as ipso facto proof of invidious discrimination. Charles Kesler, National Review, 20 June 2024 Since the operation was not vetoed, Adams must, ipso facto, have acquiesced. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023 Legal: The gift of the check was revoked ipso facto by the death of Grandmother, the donor. Dallas News, 11 Dec. 2022 And the principle remains that representing a malefactor isn’t, ipso facto, an act of malefaction. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2022 Insufficient representation of specific racial groups in a freshman class, a company’s diversity report or the composition of its board for Securities and Exchange Commission disclosures, can all ipso facto reveal the absence of diversity. WSJ, 3 Nov. 2022

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, literally, by the fact itself

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ipso facto was in 1548

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ipso facto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ipso%20facto. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Legal Definition

ipso facto

adverb
ip·​so fac·​to ˈip-sō-ˈfak-tō How to pronounce ipso facto (audio)
: by that very fact or act : as an inevitable result
drove the getaway car and was ipso facto an accessory
Etymology

New Latin, literally, by the fact itself

More from Merriam-Webster on ipso facto

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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