alternative history en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /-ˌhɪstəɹi/ (General-American)
- /-ˌhɪstəɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /-ˌhɪst(ə)ɹɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɔltɚnətɪv ˌhɪstɹi/ (General-American)
- /ˈɑl.tɚ.nətɪv-/ (General-American)
- /ˈɒltənətɪv ˌhɪstɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɔːltɜːnətɪv ˌhɪstɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) Counterfactual history, a form of scientific speculation used by historians.
One of the many criticisms that can be directed at alternative historians is their failure to think historically. For alternative history, the past is not a ‘foreign country’, but rather a country that closely resembles the Russian Empire of recent times.
2014 May 14, Konstantin Sheiko, Stephen Brown, History as Therapy: Alternative History and Nationalist Imaginings in Russia:
- (uncountable, usually) A genre of fiction based around or involving ahistorical events (often occurring after a fixed point of divergence from real history).
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| alternative histories | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Hypernyms
Relateds
steampunk · what if · darkest timeline · alternative timeline · parallel universe · point of divergence · alternative universe · retrofuture · counterfactual · gaslight romance · what-if · worst timeline