alternative history

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

noun

1. 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.

2. alternate history:

   She writes alternative history that is detailed and hard to resist.

   The book is a supernatural alternative history.

alternative history

noun

1. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of alternative history¹

First recorded in 1900–05