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Recent Examples of counterfactual
Such speculations can be amusing and interesting but, like much counterfactual history, they cannot be tested.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
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
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
Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
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
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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That’s an extra $1,780 or so purely because the IRS concluded the erroneous position was intentional rather than mistaken.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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How to opt out Incorporating AI directly into Gmail could pose risks for Google, given that large language models can sometimes present erroneous or misleading information.—
Julia Doyle,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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What’s more, the administration’s accounts of ICE’s actions have repeatedly proved untrue.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
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That does not mean the allegations are untrue.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Trump, of course, was rude, untruthful, and excessively, if not quite so egregiously, long-winded in his first term, too.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Put another way, the self can be both illusory and real, or real enough.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Growth has been weak and illusory.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Comulate also invented a fictitious insurance agent named Jordan Bates, who purported to work for PBC and who interacted with Applied Systems salespeople through email (with a Phoenix Benefits email domain) to create a customer account on Applied’s Epic.—
John Hyatt,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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In a comparable case in the United States in 2023, a federal judge imposed $5,000 fines on two lawyers and a law firm after ChatGPT was blamed for their submission of fictitious legal research in an aviation injury claim.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Kikuchi and Imai are an inexact comparison.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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Scheduling is an inexact science, but one that coaches deem nearly as important as coaching and recruiting.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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What with its Charli xcx soundtrack and historically inaccurate latex costumes, Emily Brontë purists may opt to swerve a Valentine’s weekend viewing slot.—
Olivia Allen,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
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And those traditional soil tests use acids to extract phosphorus from the soil, delivering inaccurate findings of how much phosphorus plants can actually access.—
Dinesh Phuyal,
The Conversation,
26 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 1 Feb. 2026.
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