as in erroneous
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Recent Examples of counterfactual
The polio vaccines prevented 29 million cases of paralytic polio between 1960 and 2021, compared with a counterfactual world with no vaccines, according to researchers’ estimates.
—
Soph Warnes, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025
The former calls for a counterfactual view of how testing works; the latter calls for political will and policy ideas not currently in evidence.
—Peter Greene, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
From those counterfactual questions, the adult Roth spun a tour de force of memory and history.
—New York Times, 8 July 2024
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
Soph Warnes, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025
The former calls for a counterfactual view of how testing works; the latter calls for political will and policy ideas not currently in evidence.
—Peter Greene, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
From those counterfactual questions, the adult Roth spun a tour de force of memory and history.
—New York Times, 8 July 2024
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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Lauber ruled that discounted cash flow valuation of land is erroneous as a matter of law.—
Peter J Reilly,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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One subject of a Raffi Khatchadourian piece complained that multiple details about his life were made up and demanded to know what idiot had given Khatchadourian the erroneous details.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Not every person owes the world an explanation when untrue rumors about them spread.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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Even more strikingly, Netanyahu falsely claimed that the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, had already passed a bill recognizing the Armenian genocide—a statement that is entirely untrue.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Officers making contact with Hyatt noted an odor of intoxicants, staggering gait, confusion and illogical, untruthful responses to questions, according to the motion.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Aug. 2025
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The deficient vice of integrity is being fake, untruthful, inconsistent, unprincipled, and manipulative.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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In conclusion, several factors, starting from the extent of our exposure to horoscopes to illusory correlation, can play a role in your astrology beliefs, but those are not necessarily the same factors that influence the strength of your relationship, as the aforementioned study shows.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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Auctions are built on an illusory symmetry of hope.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As Newton soon learned, there is a long runway between playing a fictitious, Regency-era ladies’ man and becoming one of the most recognizable designers in pop culture.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
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The film is set in New Mexico, in the fictitious title town—population of two thousand four hundred and thirty-five, according to a road sign—where the election year sees the mayor also up for reëlection.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That medicine is an inexact science.—
Polly Atkin
August 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Aug. 2025
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The parsing of high-level business speak is an inexact art.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That is a silly and inaccurate oversimplification.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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Excess heat can harm the oven's thermostat and heating elements, leading to inaccurate temperature readings and possible permanent damage, along with a fire risk.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Overpayments can occur for many reasons, the agency said, including incorrect wage reporting, failure to meet work requirements or providing false or misleading information.—
Adrienne Roberts,
Freep.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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In court, government lawyers frequently made false or misleading claims about the men’s whereabouts.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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