sci-fi
Americanadjective
noun
noun
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.
Muldoon starred in Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi action film Starship Troopers in 1997, playing Zander Barcalow, the romantic rival of the lead character, portrayed by Casper Van Dien.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
Mel Brooks’ ‘Spaceballs’ put a comedic dent in the sci-fi genre when it crashed onto the space-opera scene in 1987.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
In a totalitarian sci-fi world, a hammer thrown by a young athlete smashes a "Big Brother" figure declaiming to brainwashed citizens from a vast screen.
From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026
Spielberg’s film, released the year before “Testament,” is a sci-fi fantasy of suburban youth in a universe of expanding possibility—an inverse image of the considerably darker, not-so-improbable science fiction in which Scottie finds himself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
“Hai Ram, not every sci-fi has to have a killer robot in it, Rishi Patel. Just read it.”
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
