COUNTERFACTUAL Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

counterfactual

adjective

Definition of counterfactual

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 Havana Docks did not have to prove that the cruise lines interfered with a property interest that would have existed in the counterfactual scenario in which the Cuban Government did not confiscate it. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 21 May 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for counterfactual

Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterfactual

Adjective

Instead, Denver retained possession and capitalized on the erroneous call to win.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
That a reporter or two heard of this normal process led to the erroneous inference that a change of leadership is imminent.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of erroneous

Adjective

Those commitments can be withdrawn if Saab is untruthful with investigators or probation officials, commits another crime or otherwise violates the agreement.

— Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of untruthful

Adjective

Yet these promises of a self-running state are illusory, because AI is never truly autonomous.

— Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
The algorithms selected patterns that were strikingly similar to those found in nature, so this illusory effect could be a major evolutionary driver.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of illusory

Adjective

The Swiss manufacturer has just unveiled a new lineup of Seamaster Diver 300Ms inspired by James Bond and Spectre, the fictitious crime org seen in the 007 flicks.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2026
The Russian security service’s Meliorator tool has been used to create over a thousand profiles of fictitious Americans, primarily on X (formerly Twitter), to spread Kremlin narratives at a fraction of the cost of human troll farms.

— Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of fictitious

Adjective

Markings depicted on an image of a Kalinga warrior from an indigenous group in the Philippines were inaccurate and none of the artists involved in creating the mural identified as Asian, Asian American or Pacific Islander.

— Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
These limitations could easily produce an analysis that is misleading or inaccurate.

— Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of inaccurate

Adjective

The women, many of whom were first-time surrogates, say they were given misleading or incomplete information about the couple’s family situation and intentions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Low primary turnout can also lead to unexpected results – and these results can create misleading perceptions of the election.

— Robert Boatright, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of misleading

Browse Nearby Words

counterevidence

counterfactual

counterfeit

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Counterfactual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfactual. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of counterfactual

adjective

Example Sentences

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