alternate history

American  

[awl-ter-nit his-tuh-ree, his-tree, al-tur-] / ˈɔl tər nɪt ˈhɪs tə ri, ˈhɪs tri, ˈæl tɜr- /

Also alt history

noun

1. a genre of fiction comprising narratives in which a historical event or events take a different path than that which occurred in real life.

   Much alternate history has been written about World War II.

2. a work of fiction in which a historical event or events take a different path than that which occurred in real life.

   The first of her alternate histories, the one in which Aaron Burr wins the 1800 presidential election, is my favorite.

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Etymology

Origin of alternate history

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

His new novel of alternate history, ‘Same Bed Different Dreams,’ is a wildly more ambitious project.

From Los Angeles Times

“Universal Language” isn’t an alternate history of Winnipeg.

From Los Angeles Times

Do you see these films as some version of an alternate history?

From Los Angeles Times

An imagined alternate history of Korea that includes assassins, slasher films and the dangers of social media.

From New York Times

This creepy alteration instantly explains how this show occupies an alternate history in which the Nazis won World War II.

From Salon