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.”

Origin of counterfactual

First recorded in 1945–50; counter- + factual

OTHER WORDS FROM counterfactual

coun·ter·fact, noun coun·ter·fac·tu·al·ly, adverb

Example sentences from the Web for counterfactual

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