ALTERNATIVE HISTORY Definition & Meaning

alternative history

[ awl-tur-nuh-tiv his-tuh-ree, his-tree, al-tur- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

history that is based on an unconventional or nontraditional interpretation of an event or events:
Charting a hitherto untold story with historical and contemporary implications, these essays present a compelling alternative history of theatrical practice in the UK.
alternate history:
She writes alternative history that is detailed and hard to resist.
The book is a supernatural alternative history.

alternative history

noun

a genre of fiction in which the author speculates on how the course of history might have been altered if a particular historical event had had a different outcome

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of alternative history¹

First recorded in 1900–05

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The court took pains to show that the prevailing interpretation of the Second Amendment is not originalist but based on a fantastical alternative history peddled by the gun industry and its defenders.

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Fans have flocked to Netflix events centered around its most popular titles, including “Bridgerton,” with some fans dressing up for balls that resemble the ones depicted in the Regency-era alternative history romance series.

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We love plunging into hypothetical topics and alternative history, but this discussion has little meat on which we can chew.

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His alternative history of how Florida would teach the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or the Holocaust is superb over-the-top political humor that belongs to the George Carlin tradition of ridiculing euphemism.

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The Hotline loves alternative history — as noted on the podcast, I could ride the wormhole all the way back to the South winning Gettysburg.

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