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 …

Jan 18, 2019 · 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 …

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.

Sep 23, 2025 · This imaginative process is known as counterfactual thinking, because the thoughts entertained are contrary-to-fact, or counterfactual. Far from being confined to mere fantastic …

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 …

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.

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 …

Definition of 'counterfactual' counterfactual in American English (ˌkaʊntərˈfæktʃuəl ) adjective

Jan 11, 2026 · Adjective counterfactual (not comparable) Contrary to known or agreed facts; untrue. Synonym: contrafactual