alternate history

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɒlˌtɜːnət ˌhɪstɹi/, /ˈɒltənət ˌhɪstɹi/, /-ˌhɪstəɹi/, /-ˌhɪst(ə)ɹɪ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔltɚnət ˌhɪstɹi/, /-ˌhɪstəɹi/, /ˈɑl.tɚ.nət-/

Noun

alternate history (usually uncountable, plural alternate histories)

1. Counterfactual history, a form of scientific speculation used by historians.
2. (fiction) A genre of fiction based around or involving ahistorical events (often occurring after a fixed point of divergence from real history).
   • 2004 September 5, Laura Miller, “Imagine”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Alternate history is […] a mournful exercise; in it, the world we know has been erased, and usually not for the better. Sometimes the main character realizes this, but most often the reader alone is left to fathom the loss.

Synonyms

• alternative history, allohistory (both senses)

Hypernyms

• speculative fiction

See also

• alternate timeline
• alternate universe, alternative universe
• counterfactual
• darkest timeline, worst timeline
• gaslight romance
• parallel universe
• point of divergence
• retrofuture
• steampunk
• what if, what-if

 

Further reading

• alternate history on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• counterfactual history on Wikipedia.Wikipedia