Counterfactuals are conditionals concerning hypothetical possibilities. What if Martin Luther King had died when he was stabbed in 1958 (Byrne 2005: 1)? What if the Americas had never been …

Counterfactual thinking is a concept in psychology that involves the human tendency to create possible alternatives to life events that have already occurred; something that is contrary to what actually …

Thoughts about how an embarrassing event might have turned out differently are known to psychologists as counterfactual thinking. One approach is to consider a counterfactual: what if the …

The meaning of COUNTERFACTUAL is contrary to fact. How to use counterfactual in a sentence.

Dec 16, 2025 · There are two types of counterfactual thinking: upward and downward. It's easy to get stuck in thinking about a past we can't change, which can distract us from the present. In psychology, …

Counterfactual reasoning means thinking about alternative possibilities for past or future events: what might happen/ have happened if…? In other words, you imagine the consequences of something …

Sep 21, 2023 · Counterfactual thinking refers to the cognitive process of imagining alternatives to events or situations that have transpired. It can be beneficial in some limited circumstances, such as when …

2 meanings: 1. expressing what has not happened but could, would, or might under differing conditions 2. a conditional.... Click for more definitions.

Dec 14, 2025 · Adjective [edit] counterfactual (not comparable) Contrary to known or agreed facts; untrue. synonym quotations Synonym: contrafactual

COUNTERFACTUAL definition: a conditional statement the first clause of which expresses something contrary to fact, as “If I had known.” See examples of counterfactual used in a sentence.