what-if
Imagined alternative possibility
What-if poses a hypothetical scenario, often to explore possibilities or consequences: What if we left tomorrow instead?
As a noun or adjective, a what-if is a speculative question or scenario: The report is full of what-ifs.
We ran some what-if analyses on the budget.
The term often carries slight dismissiveness toward excessive speculation: Quit worrying about what-ifs.
Postulated event sequence
- suppositionBelief without proof
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
- thought experimentHypothetical scenario for reasoning
counterfactual · possibility · premise · proposition · alternate reality · parallel universe · mental model · theoretical
Imaginative mental wandering
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- alternate historyGenre reimagining past outcomes
- fictionImagined narrative work
invention · visionary · storytelling · creative writing · world-building · speculative fiction · reimagining · fantastical
Arranging for future events
- preparationArranging things in advance
- backup planAlternative if primary fails
- alternativeAnother available choice
- safeguardPrecaution against harm
precaution · risk assessment · fallback · mitigation · readiness · emergency preparedness · proactive · simulation
Troubled mental state
- overthinkingDwelling excessively on thoughts
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- catastrophizingImagining worst-case outcomes
- second-guessingReconsidering a decision made
regret · hindsight · doubt · uncertainty · fear · apprehension · obsessing · spiraling
Feeling curiosity about something
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- inquiryRequest for information
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
musing · contemplation · inquisitiveness · fascination · probing · investigation · thought-provoking · brainstorming
scenario
Postulated event sequence
- suppositionBelief without proof
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
thought experiment · counterfactual · possibility · premise · proposition · alternate reality · parallel universe · mental model · theoretical · postulation
fantasy
Imaginative mental wandering
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- alternate historyGenre reimagining past outcomes
fiction · invention · visionary · storytelling · creative writing · world-building · speculative fiction · reimagining · fantastical · dreaming
planning
Arranging for future events
- preparationArranging things in advance
- backup planAlternative if primary fails
- alternativeAnother available choice
safeguard · precaution · risk assessment · fallback · mitigation · readiness · emergency preparedness · proactive · simulation · drill
worry
Troubled mental state
- overthinkingDwelling excessively on thoughts
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- catastrophizingImagining worst-case outcomes
second-guessing · regret · hindsight · doubt · uncertainty · fear · apprehension · obsessing · spiraling · sleepless nights
wondering
Feeling curiosity about something
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- inquiryRequest for information
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
pondering · musing · contemplation · inquisitiveness · fascination · probing · investigation · thought-provoking · brainstorming · open-ended
- scenariosbest-case, worst-case, hypothetical, best case, worst case
- speculationconjecture, guess, guessing, speculation, hypothesis
- Alternate Historyalternate history, alternate timeline, alternate timelines, alternate reality, alternate world
- parallel worldsparallel worlds, alternate universe, alternate reality, parallel dimension, alternate world
- hypotheticalshypothesis, hypothetical, conjecture, thought experiment, supposition
- questionsquestion, inquiry, questions, query, interrogatives
what-iffact
Verifiable piece of information
what happened · reality · actuality · given · known quantity
what-ifcertainty
Total absence of doubt
inevitability · foregone conclusion · sure thing · given · guarantee
what-ifpracticality
Quality of being useful
pragmatism · realism · how-to · brass tacks · nitty-gritty