what-if

[hwuht-if, hwot‑, wuht‑, wot‑]

adjective

1. hypothetical.

   a what-if scenario.

noun

1. a hypothetical case or situation; conjecture.

   a series of what-ifs.

what-if

noun

1. informal,  a hypothetical question; speculation

   one of the great what-ifs of modern history

Word History and Origins

Origin of what-if¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Idioms and Phrases

Suppose that, as in What if the speaker doesn't get here in time? This expression is in effect a shortening of “what would happen if.” It was first recorded about 1420.

Example Sentences

“That’s third-state thinking. You’ll never get anywhere if you what-if everything. You’ve got to live in the now. The first state.”

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Mattingly said he doesn’t play the what-if game when thinking about that team.

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One can even detect, in this brilliant, captivating Reichardt gem about fortune and fate, a what-if attached to her disaffected male protagonist: Would today’s version of James, just as adrift and arrogant, steal art to assuage his emptiness?

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"LLMs are particularly useful for summarising long documents, first-pass drafting, coding snippets, and 'what-if' exploration."

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He takes a wisp of an idea, a what-if, and turns it into a viable aesthetic.

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