counterfactual

adjective

Definition of counterfactualnext
as in erroneous

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counterfactual Mandatory frontier-model approval simultaneously fails the targeting, counterfactual durability, and enforceability tests. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 15 May 2026 In our counterfactual future, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay in South America’s southern cone, so close to Antarctica, have to adapt to some of the harshest effects of the widening hole in the ozone. — Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 In Dark Matter, a parallel-universe version of Chicago as a desolate wasteland is more obviously counterfactual—and thus less uncanny—than a parallel universe in which the main character’s wife had not given up her career as an artist to have children. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025 Such speculations can be amusing and interesting but, like much counterfactual history, they cannot be tested. — Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for counterfactual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterfactual
  1. erroneous
  2. untrue
  3. untruthful
  4. illusory
  5. fictitious
  6. inexact
  7. inaccurate
  8. misleading
Adjective
  • The lawsuit alleges that South Dakota’s rollout of the proof-of-citizenship requirement has disqualified eligible voters over erroneous minutiae and failed to offer them a realistic shot at fixing problems with their registration application.
    — John Hult, States Newsroom, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Towers told ProPublica that the audit had reached erroneous conclusions, that the auditors did not give him the opportunity to fully defend his work and that the journal’s willingness to stand by the study is proof that his research is sound.
    — Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • And the result of these untrue statements actually put lives at risk.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Findings in news reports indicated both claims appeared to be untrue.
    — Sylvia Hui, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of untrue
Adjective
  • However, subsequent video evidence led officials to claim that the officers involved had likely made untruthful statements about what happened.
    — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In February, federal authorities launched an investigation into two federal immigration agents who appeared to have made untruthful statements under oath regarding a nonfatal shooting of an immigrant in Minneapolis in January.
    — Hallie Golden, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of untruthful
Adjective
  • The apparently illusory swings show the difficulty of accurately counting homeless people in the expanse of north Los Angeles County.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Until there is agreement on which share count and which components of enterprise value belong in these calculations, comparability across companies is illusory, and the sector now includes well over a hundred public issuers of very different sizes.
    — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of illusory
Adjective
  • The April indictment accused the organization of secretly funneling millions of dollars in donor funds to informants embedded in violent extremist movements, using bank accounts opened for fictitious companies.
    — Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The inaugural Ig Nobel Prize ceremony honored three fictitious achievers; all recipients in subsequent years (barring a 1994 award based on inaccurate reporting) have been real people.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Adjective
  • The polyester cloth was scratchy on my thighs, the fit inexact.
    — Benny Peterson, Vogue, 4 May 2026
  • Predicting space weather remains a decidedly inexact science, comparable to weather forecasting decades ago on Earth.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of inexact
Adjective
  • Travelers can place too much trust in a confident but inaccurate answer.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Viral posts outlining ways to find AI tool hacks are now commonplace, but this also means an increase in factually inaccurate claims that are seen by millions of people.
    — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of inaccurate
Adjective
  • But in an interview with NPR last year, Patterson said the projection can create a misleading impression when used as a general-purpose world map.
    — Jewel Bright, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The White House’s misleading stats on oil shipments from the Gulf.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of misleading

Browse Nearby Words

counterevidence
counterfactual
counterfeit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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