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

ˈsī-ən(t)s-ˈfik-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of science fiction in a Sentence

Time travel exists only in the realm of science fiction.

Recent Examples on the Web

The film was adapted from author Andy Weir’s 2021 bestselling science fiction novel of the same name. —Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026

With its mix of Norse mythology, eighteenth-century cryptozoology, nineteenth-century science fiction, and the biblical apocalypse, the poem tells of something tragic and mysterious lying just beyond the bounds of human knowing. —Kathryn Hughes, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026

Priscilla Wald, who teaches about science fiction at Duke University, has a theory as to why. —ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026

Catapulting data centers into space from the moon sounds like science fiction. —The Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for science fiction

• antifriction
• benediction
• contradiction
• crucifixion
• dereliction
• interdiction
• jurisdiction
• malediction
• addiction
• affliction
• constriction
• conviction

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