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Recent Examples of counterfactual
In an era where many of the thought-leaders and decision-makers in our global society refuse to accept the actual facts of reality, and instead argue from a counterfactual position that supports their preferred narrative, this isn’t just a problem for practicing scientists.
—
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 13 Aug. 2025
Ferguson, who has published a collection of counterfactual histories, is an outlier among academics.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Now consider a counterfactual scenario, in which Russia attacked only the Donbas region of Ukraine in 2022.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
Apparently getting an intrinsic reward for others’ wellbeing will take coordination only so far, without counterfactual reasoning to tell you if your actions are directly responsible for others’ behavior.
—Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2019
See All Example Sentences for counterfactual
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 13 Aug. 2025
Ferguson, who has published a collection of counterfactual histories, is an outlier among academics.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Now consider a counterfactual scenario, in which Russia attacked only the Donbas region of Ukraine in 2022.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
Apparently getting an intrinsic reward for others’ wellbeing will take coordination only so far, without counterfactual reasoning to tell you if your actions are directly responsible for others’ behavior.
—Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2019
See All Example Sentences for counterfactual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterfactual
Adjective
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Quick hits — Canales told reporters that the refs in the Panthers’ loss to the Bucs on Saturday never gave the Panthers the chance to replay a critical down after an erroneous whistle stopped it dead.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Jan. 2026
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In Wiggins case, the court ruled the trial judge gave erroneous legal instructions to the jury.—
Stephen Swanson,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Alex has apparently not seen the series but has heard about it and says what viewers are watching is untrue, according to the statement.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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These included the claim that Barack Obama had put Clooney up to it, which Clooney said is untrue.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The search led her to a nearby house — and into a complicated situation involving several untruthful children and their parents.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
15 Dec. 2025
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Others focussed less on the revelation that our chronically untruthful leader had failed to tell the truth about something, and more on the escalating hate speech about Somali immigrants in Minnesota that the President is now spewing forth on a regular basis.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s pursuit of an illusory sphere of influence is unlikely to bring us peace or prosperity—any more than the invasion of Ukraine brought peace and prosperity to Russians—and this might become clear sooner than anyone expects.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
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Time may be an absolute, but our measurements of it are illusory.—
Christian Wiman,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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In a white Ford Expedition with exempt plates and red emergency lights, Farzam stopped at a checkpoint manned by the National Guard on January 17 and presented a document showing the vehicle was registered to the fictitious Santa Muerte Fire Department, prosecutors said.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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The film is set in a version of America that, while fictitious, still feels distinctly American.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Kikuchi and Imai are an inexact comparison.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected claims that the officer acted in self-defense, saying after viewing the video that the federal account was inaccurate, as previously noted by The Center Square.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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That demeaning statement has proven both accurate and inaccurate, depending on the president’s relationship with the vice president, their skill set, experience, and political ambition.—
Myra Adams,
Washington Post,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Experts immediately pointed out that Hassett had used a misleading method known as a cubic fit to make the mortality data appear less frightening.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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