Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

sci-fi

American  
[sahy-fahy] / ˈsaɪˌfaɪ /
Also scifi,

adjective

  1. of or relating to science fiction.

    a writer of sci-fi books.


sci-fi British  
/ ˈsaɪˌfaɪ /

noun

  1. short for science fiction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sci-fi

First recorded in 1950–55; by shortening

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.

See Examples For:

“Something that really intrigued me was their sci-fi aspect of this film,” Maea said of Asco.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

The startup provides online platforms, where fans can trade and play with digital cards featuring baseball players, sci-fi hero Ultraman characters, sumo wrestlers and other growing lists of figures and characters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

A battlefield dominated by fully autonomous drones capable of selecting and engaging targets without human intervention sounds like a dystopian sci-fi plot.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

"We did sci-fi with Farmageddon and now we're in Halloween horror but without the scares - it's more comedy," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

She wore a suit of scaled gunmetal-blue armor that looked more sci-fi than fantasy.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com