science fiction

noun

: fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component
science-fictional adjective

Examples of science fiction in a Sentence

Time travel exists only in the realm of science fiction.
Recent Examples on the Web The action-comedy revolves around Gosling's character, a stunt performer named Colt Seavers, who works with Blunt's director character on her upcoming science fiction blockbuster. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 The remarks triggered a backlash, with critics likening the pictures to a dystopian science fiction movie. Emma Bubola, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Take away the teetering conceptual pieces of the book and there’s little that’s distinctive about 3 Body Problem as a science fiction brand. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Two years after making his feature directorial debut with the period film The Duellists, Scott changed the science fiction game with Alien. Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 The classic science fiction novel where a young boy survives a family betrayal in an inhospitable world. Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 So when our News Manager Margo Anderson and Contributing Editor Charles Q. Choi hatched the idea for the science fiction/fact package featured in this issue, our local sci-fi maven, Special Projects Editor Stephen Cass, eagerly volunteered to shepherd the project. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2024 Moon mining, whether for water or rare-earth metals, remains science fiction today, and tends to give pause to casual observers, who imagine looking up, horrified, at a strip-mined lunar surface. David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Armed with sandworms, big screen spectacle and the star power of Timothée Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve ’s science fiction epic stormed the North American box office this weekend earning $81.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Lindsey Bahr, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'science fiction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of science fiction was in 1898

Dictionary Entries Near science fiction

Cite this Entry

“Science fiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/science%20fiction. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

science fiction

noun
: fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals
science-fictional
ˈsī-ən(t)s-ˈfik-shnəl
-shən-ᵊl
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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