counterfactual

== English == === Etymology === From counter- +‎ factual. === Pronunciation === (Canada) IPA(key): /ˌkaʊntɚˈfæktʃuəl/ (UK) IPA(key): /ˌkaʊn.tə(ɹ)ˈfæk.tʃu.əl/ === Adjective === counterfactual (not comparable) Contrary to known or agreed facts; untrue. Synonym: contrafactual Of or in comparison to a hypothetical state of the world. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === counterfactual (plural counterfactuals) A claim, hypothesis, or other belief that is contrary to the facts. Synonyms: counterfact; misapprehension; misconception; misunderstanding; falsehood; misinformation Hyponyms: lie, fib; disinformation, malinformation; see also Thesaurus:falsehood, Thesaurus:lie A hypothetical state of the world, used to assess the impact of an action. Coordinate terms: model; retrofuture (linguistics, philosophy) A conditional statement in which the conditional clause is false. ==== See also ==== === Further reading === counterfactual history on Wikipedia.Wikipedia counterfactual conditional on Wikipedia.Wikipedia