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
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
One of them, XPrize & Singularity University founder and chair Peter H. Diamandis, just launched a $3.5 million fund to promote optimistic sci-fi films to counter the AI doomsday narrative.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
I have a bookcase filled with all kinds of stories: mysteries, fantasy adventures, sci-fi.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
