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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Who never bothered to delete the erroneous post.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Then, in 2005, the Texas First Court of Appeals overturned Yates’ conviction after finding the forensic psychiatrist who testified for the prosecution gave erroneous testimony that may have prejudiced the jury.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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News of the potential merger was first reported by Bloomberg, however, a source stated that any reports of financial problems at iHeart are untrue, and also that the companies are looking at a merger, not the acquisition of one by the other.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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In his earlier testimony on Thursday morning, Espinoza told Wise County District Attorney James Stainton that Horner had been untruthful throughout the investigative process.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
9 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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Predicting space weather remains a decidedly inexact science, comparable to weather forecasting decades ago on Earth.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
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The food arrived on a mottled brown ceramic plate, its inexact edges forming something between a circle and an octagon.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
28 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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However, he was later granted a new trial after a judge ruled that star witness Duane Deaver, a State Bureau of Investigation crime lab agent, provided misleading and false testimony, per WRAL.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
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The Cass County Emergency Services Board, National Weather Service and Everbridge are investigating the cause of the misleading notifications.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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