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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This act interferes greatly with local departments of planning and development for erroneous climate protocols enacted by Ronald Regan.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
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In banking, an erroneous decision affects a transaction.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
2 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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The idea that transparency offers a route to closure is already proving illusory.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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Its sense of one of the most famous buildings in world history is romantic, fantasy filled and illusory.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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First, Jones submitted fraudulent expense reimbursement requests for fictitious business expenses.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Investigators say the monthly payroll expenses and the number of employees were fictitious and that the documents used to support the monthly income for the companies were false.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
Ernie Dosio’s Family Breaks Their Silence According to Dosio’s ex-wife, Rinda Butler Dosio, the family initially received inconsistent and sometimes inaccurate information.—
Ryan Brennan
April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
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Retailers are charging people based on guesses, and those guesses are frequently inaccurate.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Despite the misleading context and language, 46% of Virginians voted against the amendment.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
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Suggesting that law enforcement needs to monitor the movements of the entire population to solve crimes is both misleading and historically false.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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