counterfactual
[ koun-ter-fak-choo-uhl ]
nounLogic.
a conditional statement the first clause of which expresses something contrary to fact, as “If I had known.”
Origin of counterfactual
1Other words from counterfactual
- coun·ter·fact, noun
- coun·ter·fac·tu·al·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for counterfactual
counterfactual
/ (ˌkauntəˈfæktʃʊəl) logic /
adjective
expressing what has not happened but could, would, or might under differing conditions
noun
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
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
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