might-have-beens
Roads not taken
Might-have-beens are things that could have happened but didn't—missed opportunities, unrealized possibilities, or imagined alternative outcomes.
The term carries a wistful or regretful tone, dwelling on paths not taken: She spent too much time thinking about might-have-beens.
A might-have-been can also be a person who never fulfilled their potential: He was a might-have-been who never made it past the minor leagues.
Propositions contrary to fact
- hypotheticalsImagined possible situations
- speculativeBased on conjecture
- revisionismReexamining established doctrine
Tender sadness for absence
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- remorseGuilt for wrongdoing
- hindsightRecognition after the fact
rue · second-guessing · what-ifs · lament · sorrow · pining · yearning · melancholy
Other available options
- possibilitiesThings that may occur
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
- forksMulti-pronged eating implements
- choicesAvailable options to pick
paths · chances · options · prospects · almosts · pivots · junctures · divergence
Not returned in kind
- crushesCompresses with force
- estrangedSeparated by emotional distance
- reconnectionRestoring a broken link
- closureSense of emotional resolution
counterfactuals
Propositions contrary to fact
- hypotheticalsImagined possible situations
- speculativeBased on conjecture
- revisionismReexamining established doctrine
wistfulness
Tender sadness for absence
hindsight · rue · second-guessing · what-ifs · lament · sorrow · pining · yearning · melancholy · bittersweet
alternatives
Other available options
- possibilitiesThings that may occur
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
- forksMulti-pronged eating implements
choices · paths · chances · options · prospects · almosts · pivots · junctures · divergence
unrequited
Not returned in kind
- crushesCompresses with force
- estrangedSeparated by emotional distance
- reconnectionRestoring a broken link
might-have-beensactualities
Existing states of affairs
realities · facts · what is · fait accompli · lived experience
might-have-beenspossibilities
Things that may occur
opportunities · potential · open doors · dreams · aspirations
might, have, been, having, mightier, mightiest, mighty, mightily, mightiness