alternative history

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

/ ɔlˈtɜr nə tɪv ˈhɪs tə ri, ˈhɪs tri, ælˈtɜr- /

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noun

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.

alternate history: She writes alternative history that is detailed and hard to resist.The book is a supernatural alternative history.

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Origin of alternative history

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby alternative history

alternative, alternative conjunction, alternative curriculum, alternative energy, alternative fuel, alternative history, alternative hypothesis, Alternative Investment Market, alternatively, alternative medicine, alternative pathway

British Dictionary definitions for alternative history

alternative history

esp US alternate history

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012