counterfactual
[ koun-ter-fak-choo-uh l ]
/ ˌkaʊn tərˈfæk tʃu əl /
noun Logic.
a conditional statement the first clause of which expresses something contrary to fact, as “If I had known.”
OTHER WORDS FROM counterfactual
coun·ter·fact, noun coun·ter·fac·tu·al·ly, adverbWords nearby counterfactual
counterearth,
countereconomy,
counterespionage,
counterexample,
counterextension,
counterfactual,
counterfeit,
counterfoil,
counterforce,
counterfort,
counterglow
Example sentences from the Web for counterfactual
Psychologists call this awareness of what might have been “counterfactual thinking.”
What’s a Key to Victory in Sochi? Coming So Close to Defeat. |Kevin Bleyer |February 23, 2014 |DAILY BEASTHis counterfactual musings don't provide any practicable, coherent or implementable alternatives.
Israel and Palestine Vs. ‘Blood and Magic’ |Hussein Ibish, Saliba Sarsar |September 17, 2013 |DAILY BEASTBut let's consider a counterfactual: Republicans double down.
It will depend upon the counterfactual—who is the other person.
British Dictionary definitions for counterfactual
counterfactual
/ (ˌkauntəˈfæktʃʊəl) logic /
adjective
expressing what has not happened but could, would, or might under differing conditions
noun
a conditional statement in which the first clause is a past tense subjunctive statement expressing something contrary to fact, as in
if she had hurried she would have caught the bus