as in erroneous
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Recent Examples of counterfactual
In Dark Matter, a parallel-universe version of Chicago as a desolate wasteland is more obviously counterfactual—and thus less uncanny—than a parallel universe in which the main character’s wife had not given up her career as an artist to have children.
—
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
Such speculations can be amusing and interesting but, like much counterfactual history, they cannot be tested.
—Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Ferguson, who has published a collection of counterfactual histories, is an outlier among academics.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 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
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
Such speculations can be amusing and interesting but, like much counterfactual history, they cannot be tested.
—Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Ferguson, who has published a collection of counterfactual histories, is an outlier among academics.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 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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Some free-speech experts at the time felt Disney had a chance to win that case, which revolved around erroneous statements made by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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Spoofing relies on transmitting false signals that mimic authentic satellite signals to trick signal receivers into calculating erroneous positions for aircraft and other users.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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After the Daily Mail reported that the actress had clashed with Sandra Bernhard, who joined the cast of The White Lotus in February 2026, per Variety, her rep told outlets the claim was untrue, adding that the two had never met.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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That proved to be untrue for Boeing, which reported better-than-expected revenue on Wednesday.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Since 2019, state law has required law enforcement agencies that employ POST certificate holders to notify the board if a certificate holder knowingly made an untruthful statement during an internal affairs investigation, among other circumstances.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
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These questions were raised after reporting by The New York Times in August 2024 regarding Moore’s untruthful claims about receiving the Bronze Star in Afghanistan — a story originally reported on in 2022 by FOX45’s Mikenzie Frost.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the lower pump price is illusory, a mirage created by the RFS’s Rube Goldberg-like system of mandates and subsides which socialize the higher refining costs across all gasoline types.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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The idea that transparency offers a route to closure is already proving illusory.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Paul Dano is spin doctor and adviser Vadim Baranov, a fictitious character loosely inspired by real-life Russian politician Vladislav Surkov.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
-
That was a role model of a fictitious kind.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The polyester cloth was scratchy on my thighs, the fit inexact.—
Benny Peterson,
Vogue,
4 May 2026
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Predicting space weather remains a decidedly inexact science, comparable to weather forecasting decades ago on Earth.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As a name, PCOS had several limitations, including providing an inaccurate description of the condition, which does not manifest through cysts on the ovaries.—
Annalisa Merelli,
STAT,
12 May 2026
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Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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At the same time, the podcast acknowledges that outward appearances can be misleading.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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Experts warn that by the time others leave reviews or complain about the misleading claims, the sites often go offline or move on to selling another product.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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