"alternate history" meaning in English

See alternate history in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈɒlˌtɜːnət ˌhɪstɹi/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈɒltənət ˌhɪstɹi/ [Received-Pronunciation], /-ˌhɪstəɹi/ [Received-Pronunciation], /-ˌhɪst(ə)ɹɪ/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈɔltɚnət ˌhɪstɹi/ [General-American], /-ˌhɪstəɹi/ [General-American], /ˈɑl.tɚ.nət-/ [General-American] Forms: alternate histories [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun|-|+}} alternate history (usually uncountable, plural alternate histories)
  1. Counterfactual history, a form of scientific speculation used by historians. Tags: uncountable, usually Categories (topical): Alternate history, History Synonyms: alternative history, allohistory (english: both senses) Hypernyms: speculative fiction Related terms: alternate timeline, gaslight romance, point of divergence, parallel universe, retro futuristic, steampunk, what if
    Sense id: en-alternate_history-en-noun-byMPHUd4 Disambiguation of Alternate history: 55 45 Disambiguation of History: 76 24 Categories (other): English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 54 46 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 46 54
  2. (fiction) A genre of fiction based around or involving ahistorical events (often occurring after a fixed point of divergence from real history). Tags: uncountable, usually Categories (topical): Fiction, Alternate history
    Sense id: en-alternate_history-en-noun-jICXaKS3 Disambiguation of Alternate history: 55 45 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 44 56 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 54 46 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 46 54 Topics: fiction, literature, media, publishing

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for alternate history meaning in English (4.5kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "alternate histories",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "2": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "alternate history (usually uncountable, plural alternate histories)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "46 54",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Alternate history",
          "orig": "en:Alternate history",
          "parents": [
            "History",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "All topics",
            "Fiction",
            "Genres",
            "Fundamental",
            "Artistic works",
            "Entertainment",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "History",
          "orig": "en:History",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Counterfactual history, a form of scientific speculation used by historians."
      ],
      "hypernyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "speculative fiction"
        }
      ],
      "id": "en-alternate_history-en-noun-byMPHUd4",
      "links": [
        [
          "Counterfactual",
          "counterfactual"
        ],
        [
          "speculation",
          "speculation"
        ],
        [
          "historian",
          "historian"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "alternate timeline"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "gaslight romance"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "point of divergence"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "parallel universe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "retro futuristic"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "steampunk"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "what if"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "word": "alternative history"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "english": "both senses",
          "word": "allohistory"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fiction",
          "orig": "en:Fiction",
          "parents": [
            "Artistic works",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "44 56",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "46 54",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Alternate history",
          "orig": "en:Alternate history",
          "parents": [
            "History",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "All topics",
            "Fiction",
            "Genres",
            "Fundamental",
            "Artistic works",
            "Entertainment",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004 September 5, Laura Miller, “Imagine”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A genre of fiction based around or involving ahistorical events (often occurring after a fixed point of divergence from real history)."
      ],
      "id": "en-alternate_history-en-noun-jICXaKS3",
      "links": [
        [
          "fiction",
          "fiction"
        ],
        [
          "genre",
          "genre"
        ],
        [
          "ahistorical",
          "ahistorical"
        ],
        [
          "point",
          "point"
        ],
        [
          "divergence",
          "divergence"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(fiction) A genre of fiction based around or involving ahistorical events (often occurring after a fixed point of divergence from real history)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "fiction",
        "literature",
        "media",
        "publishing"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɒlˌtɜːnət ˌhɪstɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɒltənət ˌhɪstɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/-ˌhɪstəɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/-ˌhɪst(ə)ɹɪ/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɔltɚnət ˌhɪstɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/-ˌhɪstəɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɑl.tɚ.nət-/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "alternate history"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "en:Alternate history",
    "en:History"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "alternate histories",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "2": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "alternate history (usually uncountable, plural alternate histories)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hypernyms": [
    {
      "word": "speculative fiction"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "alternate timeline"
    },
    {
      "word": "gaslight romance"
    },
    {
      "word": "point of divergence"
    },
    {
      "word": "parallel universe"
    },
    {
      "word": "retro futuristic"
    },
    {
      "word": "steampunk"
    },
    {
      "word": "what if"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Counterfactual history, a form of scientific speculation used by historians."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Counterfactual",
          "counterfactual"
        ],
        [
          "speculation",
          "speculation"
        ],
        [
          "historian",
          "historian"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Fiction"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004 September 5, Laura Miller, “Imagine”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A genre of fiction based around or involving ahistorical events (often occurring after a fixed point of divergence from real history)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fiction",
          "fiction"
        ],
        [
          "genre",
          "genre"
        ],
        [
          "ahistorical",
          "ahistorical"
        ],
        [
          "point",
          "point"
        ],
        [
          "divergence",
          "divergence"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(fiction) A genre of fiction based around or involving ahistorical events (often occurring after a fixed point of divergence from real history)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "fiction",
        "literature",
        "media",
        "publishing"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɒlˌtɜːnət ˌhɪstɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɒltənət ˌhɪstɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/-ˌhɪstəɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/-ˌhɪst(ə)ɹɪ/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɔltɚnət ˌhɪstɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/-ˌhɪstəɹi/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɑl.tɚ.nət-/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "alternative history"
    },
    {
      "english": "both senses",
      "word": "allohistory"
    }
  ],
  "word": "alternate history"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.