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.
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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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Fame-first culture is particularly rampant among younger generations who have bought into the idea that fame signals value—an erroneous inference that a person who is well-known for something must have achieved something.Matt Reynolds, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
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That conviction was overturned by the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals in 2011, which cited erroneous and confusing jury instructions as the reason for reversing the ruling, per Cleveland.com.Emily Blackwood, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Trump has maintained that the accusations are untrue.Angel Saunders, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
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Newsom’s team was quick to correct the record, saying Trump’s comments about a declaration are untrue.Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 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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The developers have also added new skills related to the dodge roll, such as the ability to leave behind an illusory copy of your character to act as a decoy, which make the new mechanic feel essential to the modernized gameplay the sequel implements.Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024
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Instead of enjoying my time with them and living in the moment, I was preoccupied with trying to curate an illusory holiday vibe.Melissa Jean-Baptiste, refinery29.com, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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However, that didn’t stop the fictitious school district from announcing closings as the North Texas deals with freezing rain and snow.Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Jan. 2025
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Much like the fictitious film, Moss’s relationship with his youngest child’s mother has been tumultuous.Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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That’s a measure, albeit inexact, of how much extra yield investors are demanding for holding long term what is largely considered the safest debt instrument in the world.Jeff Cox, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The camera was easy to set up and sent alerts for most motion events, but the human detection was inaccurate, sometimes erroneously suggesting a human and sometimes ignoring actual people.Simon Hill, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2025
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Could an influx of human-looking AI accounts expose users to harmful, inaccurate or violent posts?Chris Westfall, Forbes, 2 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 20 Jan. 2025.
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