metafiction
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of metafiction
First recorded in 1975–80
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.
As metafiction goes, it could hardly be more poignant, though poignancy is not the author’s style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Blurring the lines between fiction and reality — everyone on screen is playing a version of themselves — the result is a tongue-in-cheek metafiction about the pitfalls of an industry that prioritizes productivity over people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
While it’s far from unique — everyone from Miguel Cervantes to James Joyce to Jorge Luis Borges to Kurt Vonnegut have played with metafiction — that doesn’t negate its potential.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
I also enjoy all the metafiction in there.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2022
For Calvino, metafiction is a way of exploring the nature of reality and the ways in which stories can shape our perceptions of the world.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2022
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
