counterfactual
adjective
coun·ter·fac·tu·al
ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈfak-chə-wəl 
-chəl,
-shwəl,
-chü-əl
: contrary to fact
counterfactual assumptions
Examples of counterfactual in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although her settings seem realistic enough, materially and socially, her dramas are almost like fairy tales, or seemingly counterfactual philosophical abstractions.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
In his counterfactual history, the United States would have sought to keep China weak, poor, and peripheral.
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2022
Tarantino’s counterfactual ingenuity in linking the two fictional performers to the real-life story of the Manson family was weighed down by the sediment of movie-world references, which seemed mostly designed to gratify his swoony fascination with cinematic history and his own place in it.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
Binet playfully imagines a counterfactual history in which the Aztecs and the Incas conquer western Europe.
—Sam Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for counterfactual 
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
In his counterfactual history, the United States would have sought to keep China weak, poor, and peripheral.
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2022
Tarantino’s counterfactual ingenuity in linking the two fictional performers to the real-life story of the Manson family was weighed down by the sediment of movie-world references, which seemed mostly designed to gratify his swoony fascination with cinematic history and his own place in it.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
Binet playfully imagines a counterfactual history in which the Aztecs and the Incas conquer western Europe.
—Sam Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for counterfactual
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counterfactual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near counterfactual
Cite this Entry
“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterfactual. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share