Basic Details
Word: Fait accompli
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it.
Synonyms: Done deal, irreversible decision, accomplished fact
Antonyms: Possibility, uncertainty, open question
Idioms and Phrases
- Accept a fait accompli: To acknowledge something that cannot be changed. Example: "We had no choice but to accept the fait accompli and move forward."
- Present someone with a fait accompli: To inform someone of a decision that has already been made. Example: "The manager presented the team with a fait accompli regarding the new office move."
Usage Examples
Example 1: By the time the board was informed, the merger was a fait accompli.
Example 2: The decision to cancel the event was presented to the team as a fait accompli.
Example 3: Moving in without informing his roommates left them facing a fait accompli.
Fun Fact
"Fait accompli" is a French phrase that literally means "accomplished fact." It has been adopted into English to refer to situations where decisions are made without prior consultation.
Famous Quote
"Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable - the art of the next best." - Otto von Bismarck (often associated with turning decisions into a fait accompli)
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. What does "fait accompli" mean?
a) A pending situation
b) A completed and irreversible action
c) A random decision
d) A negotiable fact
Answer: b) A completed and irreversible action
2. Which of these is a synonym of "fait accompli"?
a) Uncertain future
b) Open discussion
c) Done deal
d) Pending issue
Answer: c) Done deal
3. Which is an antonym of "fait accompli"?
a) Final decision
b) Irreversible action
c) Open question
d) Accomplished fact
Answer: c) Open question
4. Which sentence uses "fait accompli" correctly?
a) He waited for the fait accompli to be discussed.
b) They hoped it would become a fait accompli later.
c) She was presented with a fait accompli and had no choice but to accept.
d) The fait accompli might change tomorrow.
Answer: c) She was presented with a fait accompli and had no choice but to accept.
5. What does the phrase "present someone with a fait accompli" mean?
a) To ask someone's opinion beforehand
b) To delay a decision
c) To inform someone of a decision already made
d) To negotiate before acting
Answer: c) To inform someone of a decision already made
