Word.ws English Dictionary

exceptions that prove the rule

exceptions that prove the rule is the plural of exception that proves the rule.

Meaning of exception that proves the rule

Noun

exception that proves the rule (plural exceptions that prove the rule or exceptions that prove rules)

  1. The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to demonstrate that the rule exists.
    • A bishop ... is not bound to obey any Mandate but the King's; which Exception proves the Rule, and that he is inexcusably oblig'd to obey the King's1688, [anonymous], An Answer to a Paper Importing a Petition of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Six other Bishops to His Majesty, London: Henry Hills, page 14

Questions about exceptions that prove the rule

What is exceptions that prove the rule the plural of?
Exceptions that prove the rule is the plural of exception that proves the rule.

Words near exceptions that prove the rule in the dictionary

  1. exceptionless
  2. exceptionlessly
  3. exceptionlessness
  4. exceptions
  5. exceptions that prove rules
  6. exceptions that prove the rule
  7. exceptious
  8. exceptiousness
  9. exceptive
  10. exceptively
  11. exceptivity

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: exceptions that prove the rule (page history and authors); exception that proves the rule (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “exceptions that prove the rule.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/exceptions_that_prove_the_rule. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.