world-building

American  

[wurld-bil-ding] / ˈwɜrldˌbɪl dɪŋ /

world building or worldbuilding

noun

1. the process of developing a detailed and plausible fictional world for a novel or story, especially in science fiction, fantasy, and video games.

   Drawing a convincing map with boundaries and landscape features is a natural starting point for world-building.

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Other Word Forms

• world-build
  verb (used without object)

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Etymology

Origin of world-building

First recorded in 1820–25, referring to or contrasted with the Biblical creation of the world

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

world-building

“It’s so much easier to create something when you know the environment,” Garelick explained about the process of world-building.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The games became known for their morally complex characters and elaborate world-building.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

All of this world-building supports the company’s most important claim of all, that space could be “the largest economic frontier in human history.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026

Jared A. Sayeg’s crepuscular lighting and Kate Bergh’s humanizing costumes lend contrast and texture to the world-building scenic design.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026

They’d spent a small fortune on in-app purchases: skins and maps in Minecraft, V-Bucks in Fortnite, unlimited lives and gems in a new multiplayer world-building game.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

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