accomplished fact
1
5.9
- noun
:
hecho consumado
- She and Elton simply drove down to Hargrave one late October night, awakened a preacher, and got married, hoping that their marriage would be accepted as an accomplished fact.
Examples
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By March 1821, observers noted that even children spoke of independence as if it were an accomplished fact.
Academic text (1990) -
I breathe easier since the renewal is an accomplished fact.
Academic text (2006) -
As an accomplished fact, it is allowable, but as something still to be done, it is not.
Academic text (2001) -
Therefore, perhaps, he is more readily prepared than the Westerner to accept the accomplished fact.
Academic text (2015) -
Indeed, with both the president and the premier being Taiwanese, the so-called "localization" of political power is already an accomplished fact in the eyes of most Taiwanese.
Academic text (1996) -
The decision to merge the departments is now an accomplished fact that everyone must accept.
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After months of negotiations, the agreement was signed, marking a new accomplished fact in our partnership.
-
The renovations to the historic building are an accomplished fact that cannot be changed at this point.
Synonyms
6
9.4
A thing already done that cannot be changed
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'accomplished' means done/completed and 'fact' means something that is the case, so together they denote something already done and established. This adjective+noun combination follows a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so an average B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase accomplished fact comes from the French saying 'fait accompli' and creates a clear image: accomplished means 'done' and fact is a settled thing. That's why accomplished fact is used for something already done that cannot be changed.