as in erroneous
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Recent Examples of counterfactual
Although her settings seem realistic enough, materially and socially, her dramas are almost like fairy tales, or seemingly counterfactual philosophical abstractions.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
In his counterfactual history, the United States would have sought to keep China weak, poor, and peripheral.
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2022
Tarantino’s counterfactual ingenuity in linking the two fictional performers to the real-life story of the Manson family was weighed down by the sediment of movie-world references, which seemed mostly designed to gratify his swoony fascination with cinematic history and his own place in it.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
Binet playfully imagines a counterfactual history in which the Aztecs and the Incas conquer western Europe.
—Sam Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for counterfactual 
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
In his counterfactual history, the United States would have sought to keep China weak, poor, and peripheral.
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2022
Tarantino’s counterfactual ingenuity in linking the two fictional performers to the real-life story of the Manson family was weighed down by the sediment of movie-world references, which seemed mostly designed to gratify his swoony fascination with cinematic history and his own place in it.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
Binet playfully imagines a counterfactual history in which the Aztecs and the Incas conquer western Europe.
—Sam Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for counterfactual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterfactual
Adjective
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The lack of clear details in recent warnings, along with several erroneous alerts, have led some residents to take the messages less seriously.—
Holly Yan,
CNN,
16 Jan. 2025
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There is also a question whether the IRS has authority to assert penalties on refund claims of employment taxes as the statute that normally allows the IRS to assert penalties on erroneous claims for refund only applies to income taxes.—
Tom Cullinan,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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To clarify, however, rumours that the 26-year-old defender is among the club’s highest earners are untrue.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
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But of the limited information it was compelled to provide to Creech, some key details from its latest pentobarbital purchase turned out to be untrue, his attorneys asserted in the court filings while pointing to internal prison records.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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What is more untruthful: A thing written down, or a sustained deception of the heart?—
Nicolette Polek,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
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On Wednesday, the defense attacked Marquez’s credibility, questioning his motives for cooperating with the FBI and grilling him over episodes in his background that might paint him as untruthful.—
Megan Crepeau,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Perfect justice is illusory because our parents or birthplace are serendipitous.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Jan. 2025
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To me, the ending leaves as an open question whether Tóth has retreated to illusory safe ground or found a more hospitable home.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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It’s described as a biopic, but Peppiatt admits some parts of the story are fictitious.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2025
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Detectives also found that Labelle allegedly altered several documents and provided the homeowner with fictitious receipts to deceive them, according to Riley.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Projecting value seven years in advance is inexact, but based on current deals for multi-team arenas, those naming rights could be worth $25 million to $35 million per year, according to sponsorship consultant Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
14 Jan. 2025
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Schoen might have uncovered a formula to conquer the inexact science of the draft as his staff gains experience together.—
Dan Duggan,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Businesses should tread carefully, as inaccurate or misrepresented transcriptions could lead to legal liabilities, potential lawsuits, and in some cases, regulatory scrutiny.—
Jason Foodman,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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Apple is suspending its new artificial intelligence feature summarizing alerts for news and entertainment apps after facing complaints from news outlets and press freedom groups about generating false and inaccurate information.—
Rebecca Falconer,
Axios,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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That will in turn spread on social media, which often plays a disproportional role in boosting these disinformation efforts by providing nearly unlimited platforms for unfiltered content and fallacious and deceptive claims.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
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But hard evidence in both our nation’s history and our present shows that this reasoning is fallacious.—
Ana Raquel Minian,
TIME,
30 May 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near counterfactual
Cite this Entry
“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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