"alternative fact" meaning in English

See alternative fact in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: alternative fact US.ogg , LL-Q1860 (eng)-Rho9998-alternative fact.wav Forms: alternative facts [plural]
Etymology: This term gained prominence after it was used by Kellyanne Conway in January 2017 and widely repeated in the US media. Head templates: {{en-noun}} alternative fact (plural alternative facts)
  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see alternative, fact. Synonyms: alt-fact Related terms: post-truth
    Sense id: en-alternative_fact-en-noun-3Gman1eu
  2. (politics, media) Something presented as a fact for reasons of political expediency; a fiction, a falsehood, a lie. Categories (topical): Media, Politics, Donald Trump Synonyms: counterfact, counterknowledge, lie Translations (politically expedient assertion): alternatief feit [neuter] (Dutch), fait alternatif [masculine] (French), ალტერნატიული ფაქტი (alṭernaṭiuli pakṭi) (Georgian), alternative Fakten [masculine] (German), fatto alternativo [masculine] (Italian), verdad alterna [feminine] (Spanish), alternativ fakta (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-alternative_fact-en-noun-en:falsehood Disambiguation of Donald Trump: 43 57 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Georgian translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 18 82 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 18 82 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 15 85 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 8 92 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Georgian translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 23 77 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 23 77 Topics: government, media, politics Disambiguation of 'politically expedient assertion': 41 59

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_text": "This term gained prominence after it was used by Kellyanne Conway in January 2017 and widely repeated in the US media.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "alternative facts",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "alternative fact (plural alternative facts)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "That Newton was an empirical scientist is a fact. An alternative fact is that he was an alchemist.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see alternative, fact."
      ],
      "id": "en-alternative_fact-en-noun-3Gman1eu",
      "links": [
        [
          "alternative",
          "alternative#English"
        ],
        [
          "fact",
          "fact#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "67 33",
          "word": "post-truth"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "67 33",
          "word": "alt-fact"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Media",
          "orig": "en:Media",
          "parents": [
            "Communication",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Politics",
          "orig": "en:Politics",
          "parents": [
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            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 82",
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "18 82",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "15 85",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 75",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Georgian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 57",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Donald Trump",
          "orig": "en:Donald Trump",
          "parents": [
            "Individuals",
            "US politics",
            "People",
            "Politics",
            "United States",
            "Human",
            "Society",
            "North America",
            "All topics",
            "America",
            "Fundamental",
            "Earth",
            "Nature"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2017 February 25, R. E. Guyson Mayers, “A GUY\"S VIEW: Season of discontent”, in Barbados Advocate:",
          "text": "They are creating their own facts, but one need not be in Government to create alternative facts.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 March 3, “Private Sydney: Celebrities quick to present their own 'alternative facts'”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:",
          "text": "According to Donald Trump we live in an era of \"fake news\" where his \"alternative facts\" should be swallowed whole, and without scrutiny.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 March 3, Chantal Hébert, “It's not just Donald Trump who shifts the truth, Canada's politicians have been using alternative facts for years”, in Toronto Star:",
          "text": "Prime ministers have not been immune to spreading alternative facts.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 May 30, Moe! Ninja Girls, Japan: NTT Solmare, iOS, Android, scene: Season 6, Chapter 6:",
          "text": "― Secretary: Now, I did not mislead you. That was merely an alternative fact.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2018 March 26, “Association of Herpes Viral Infections, Antiherpetic Therapy, and Dementia: Real or Alternative Fact?”, in Neurotherapeutics, volume 15, →DOI, pages 415–416:",
          "text": "Association of Herpes Viral Infections, Antiherpetic Therapy, and Dementia: Real or Alternative Fact?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something presented as a fact for reasons of political expediency; a fiction, a falsehood, a lie."
      ],
      "id": "en-alternative_fact-en-noun-en:falsehood",
      "links": [
        [
          "politics",
          "politics"
        ],
        [
          "media",
          "media"
        ],
        [
          "expediency",
          "expediency"
        ],
        [
          "fiction",
          "fiction"
        ],
        [
          "falsehood",
          "falsehood"
        ],
        [
          "lie",
          "lie"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(politics, media) Something presented as a fact for reasons of political expediency; a fiction, a falsehood, a lie."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:falsehood"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "counterfact"
        },
        {
          "word": "counterknowledge"
        },
        {
          "word": "lie"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "media",
        "politics"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "41 59",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "alternatief feit"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "41 59",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "fait alternatif"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "41 59",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "alṭernaṭiuli pakṭi",
          "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
          "word": "ალტერნატიული ფაქტი"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "41 59",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "alternative Fakten"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "41 59",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "fatto alternativo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "41 59",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "verdad alterna"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "41 59",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
          "word": "alternativ fakta"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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  "wikipedia": [
    "en:Kellyanne Conway"
  ],
  "word": "alternative fact"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Georgian translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "en:Donald Trump"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "This term gained prominence after it was used by Kellyanne Conway in January 2017 and widely repeated in the US media.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "alternative facts",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "alternative fact (plural alternative facts)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "post-truth"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "That Newton was an empirical scientist is a fact. An alternative fact is that he was an alchemist.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see alternative, fact."
      ],
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          "alternative#English"
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        {
          "ref": "2017 February 25, R. E. Guyson Mayers, “A GUY\"S VIEW: Season of discontent”, in Barbados Advocate:",
          "text": "They are creating their own facts, but one need not be in Government to create alternative facts.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 March 3, “Private Sydney: Celebrities quick to present their own 'alternative facts'”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:",
          "text": "According to Donald Trump we live in an era of \"fake news\" where his \"alternative facts\" should be swallowed whole, and without scrutiny.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 March 3, Chantal Hébert, “It's not just Donald Trump who shifts the truth, Canada's politicians have been using alternative facts for years”, in Toronto Star:",
          "text": "Prime ministers have not been immune to spreading alternative facts.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 May 30, Moe! Ninja Girls, Japan: NTT Solmare, iOS, Android, scene: Season 6, Chapter 6:",
          "text": "― Secretary: Now, I did not mislead you. That was merely an alternative fact.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2018 March 26, “Association of Herpes Viral Infections, Antiherpetic Therapy, and Dementia: Real or Alternative Fact?”, in Neurotherapeutics, volume 15, →DOI, pages 415–416:",
          "text": "Association of Herpes Viral Infections, Antiherpetic Therapy, and Dementia: Real or Alternative Fact?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something presented as a fact for reasons of political expediency; a fiction, a falsehood, a lie."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "politics",
          "politics"
        ],
        [
          "media",
          "media"
        ],
        [
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          "expediency"
        ],
        [
          "fiction",
          "fiction"
        ],
        [
          "falsehood",
          "falsehood"
        ],
        [
          "lie",
          "lie"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(politics, media) Something presented as a fact for reasons of political expediency; a fiction, a falsehood, a lie."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:falsehood"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "counterfact"
        },
        {
          "word": "counterknowledge"
        },
        {
          "word": "lie"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
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        "media",
        "politics"
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  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "alt-fact"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "alternatief feit"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "fait alternatif"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "alṭernaṭiuli pakṭi",
      "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
      "word": "ალტერნატიული ფაქტი"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "alternative Fakten"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "fatto alternativo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "verdad alterna"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "politically expedient assertion",
      "word": "alternativ fakta"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "en:Kellyanne Conway"
  ],
  "word": "alternative fact"
}

Download raw JSONL data for alternative fact meaning in English (4.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). 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.

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