posteriority

Posteriority is the state or quality of being later in time or in a sequence relative to something else. It denotes temporal laterness and is the counterpart of anteriority. The term derives from the Latin posterus, meaning “coming after,” combined with the English noun-forming suffix -ity.

Usage and scope: In chronology, history, and narrative analysis, posteriority describes the order of events, actions, or phenomena. If event A has posteriority to event B, B occurs before A. In philosophy and logic, posteriority may appear in discussions of tense, temporal relations between propositions, or the sequencing of acts and consequences. In linguistics and literature, it can characterize relations where one clause or event is later in time than another.

Related contexts: In geology, evolutionary biology, or archaeology, the idea of posteriority is sometimes used to indicate a younger or subsequent position relative to a reference point, though more common terminology such as younger, subsequent, or follow-on is often used. Because posteriority is relatively formal and uncommon in everyday language, it is frequently substituted by clearer phrases like “later,” “subsequent,” or “following.”

Relationship to other terms: The antonym of posteriority is anteriority, which signals precedence in time or order. Posteriority can also be contrasted with simultaneity when events are judged to occur at different times versus at the same moment.

Examples: The posteriority of the later event to the earlier one is evident in the chronology. The theory assigns posteriority to outcome X relative to outcome Y.