alternative history

[awl-tur-nuh-tiv his-tuh-ree, his-tree, al-tur-]

noun

1. history that is based on an unconventional or nontraditional interpretation of an event or events.

   Charting a hitherto untold story with historical and contemporary implications, these essays present a compelling alternative history of theatrical practice in the UK.

2. alternate history.

   She writes alternative history that is detailed and hard to resist.

   The book is a supernatural alternative history.

alternative history

noun

1. a genre of fiction in which the author speculates on how the course of history might have been altered if a particular historical event had had a different outcome

Word History and Origins

Origin of alternative history¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

“Travesties,” Stoppard’s 1974 play, is built on the coincidence that James Joyce, Dadaist Tristan Tzara, and Vladimir Lenin all happened to be in Zurich during World War I — a cultural happenstance that paved the way for a dizzying alternative history, in which art faces off against politics.

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This foundational work of alternative history begins with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 assassination, just after his inauguration.

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The court took pains to show that the prevailing interpretation of the Second Amendment is not originalist but based on a fantastical alternative history peddled by the gun industry and its defenders.

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Fans have flocked to Netflix events centered around its most popular titles, including “Bridgerton,” with some fans dressing up for balls that resemble the ones depicted in the Regency-era alternative history romance series.

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We love plunging into hypothetical topics and alternative history, but this discussion has little meat on which we can chew.

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