science fiction

American  

[sahy-uhns fik-shuhn] / ˈsaɪ əns ˈfɪk ʃən /

Also scifi,

noun

1. a form of fiction that draws imaginatively on scientific knowledge and speculation in its plot, setting, theme, etc.

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science fiction British  

noun

1. 1. a literary genre that makes imaginative use of scientific knowledge or conjecture

   2. ( as modifier )

      a science fiction writer

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science fiction Cultural  

1. Works of fiction that use scientific discoveries or advanced technology — either actual or imaginary — as part of their plot. Jules Verne and H. G. Wells were early writers of science fiction. More recent ones are Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.

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Etymology

Origin of science fiction

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

science fiction

Then he paid high school students to write on the papyrus using passages from "Star Wars," the Bible, and a quote from the 1960s science fiction television show "The Outer Limits."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Deep-sea mining, once the preserve of science fiction, is moving closer to reality, and it’s at the heart of great-power competition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

And Sarah explained to me that, in fact, the vast majority of people can see an apple, which still seems fictional to me, like science fiction stuff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Instead, when people spoke about medbeds, it was in the context of science fiction.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

So in order to have any human interest in their stories, science fiction writers had to suppose that we would one day discover how to travel faster than light.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Related Words

• SF
• sci-fi