counterfactual

coun·ter·fac·tu·al

C c

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [koun-ter-fak-choo-uh l]
- /ˌkaʊn tərˈfæk tʃu əl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [koun-ter-fak-choo-uh l]
- /ˌkaʊn tərˈfæk tʃu əl/

Definitions of counterfactual word

adjective counterfactual expressing what has not happened but could, would, or might under differing conditions 3
noun counterfactual a conditional statement in which the first clause is a past tense subjunctive statement expressing something contrary to fact, as in 3
adjective counterfactual contrary to the facts of an event, situation, etc. 3
noun counterfactual a counterfactual idea, assumption, or argument 3
noun counterfactual a conditional statement the first clause of which expresses something contrary to fact, as “If I had known.”. 1
noun counterfactual Relating to or expressing what has not happened or is not the case. 1

See all 9 definitions of counterfactual

Information block about the term

Origin of counterfactual

First appearance:

before 1945

One of the 6% newest English words

First recorded in 1945-50; counter- + factual

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Counterfactual

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Counterfactual

counterfactual popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 53% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

counterfactual usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for counterfactual

adj counterfactual

incorrect — not correct as to fact; inaccurate; wrong: an incorrect statement.
mistruth — the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.
untrue — not true, as to a person or a cause, to fact, or to a standard.
untruthful — not truthful; wanting in veracity; diverging from or contrary to the truth; not corresponding with fact or reality.
wrong — not in accordance with what is morally right or good: a wrong deed.

All 6 Synonyms of counterfactual

Matching words

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