historical fiction
Americannoun
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the genre of literature, film, etc., comprising narratives that take place in the past and are characterized chiefly by an imaginative reconstruction of historical events and personages.
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works of this genre, as novels and plays.
Etymology
Origin of historical fiction
First recorded in 1585–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both were popular novelists of rip-roaring historical fiction, both were politically active Tories, and both had the Borderlands at the heart of their works and lives.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026
However, what elevates “Sinners” beyond the gore — what makes it a delicious piece of historical fiction — are the details woven into the story’s fabric.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026
“Titanic” was not merely a romance; it was also historical fiction, a drama and a big-budget action.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
“Pirates Wanted” leans campy, a vision of the lifestyle more informed by Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean than any historical fiction.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2025
This novel is a work of historical fiction.
From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
