[koun-ter-fak-choo-uh
l] 
| a conditional statement the first clause of which expresses something contrary to fact, as “If I had known.” |
| coun·ter·fac·tu·al (koun'tər-fāk'chōō-əl) adj. Running contrary to the facts: "Cold war historiography vividly illustrates how the selection of the counterfactual question to be asked generally anticipates the desired answer" (Timothy Garton Ash). coun'ter·fac'tu·al n. |