counterfactual

[ koun-ter-fak-choo-uhl ]
See synonyms for counterfactual on Thesaurus.com
nounLogic.
  1. a conditional statement the first clause of which expresses something contrary to fact, as “If I had known.”

Origin of counterfactual

1
First recorded in 1945–50; counter- + factual

Other words from counterfactual

  • coun·ter·fact, noun
  • coun·ter·fac·tu·al·ly, adverb

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British Dictionary definitions for counterfactual

counterfactual

/ (ˌkauntəˈfæktʃʊəl) logic /


adjective
  1. expressing what has not happened but could, would, or might under differing conditions

noun
  1. a conditional statement in which the first clause is a past tense subjunctive statement expressing something contrary to fact, as in: if she had hurried she would have caught the bus

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