cyberpunk

noun

cy·​ber·​punk ˈsī-bər-ˌpəŋk 

1

: science fiction dealing with future urban societies dominated by computer technology

2

: an opportunistic computer hacker

Did you know?

Cyberpunk and Literature

In science fiction circles, "cyberpunk" is a genre that often features countercultural antiheroes trapped in a dehumanizing high-tech future. Its roots extend back to the technical fiction of the 1940s and '50s, but it was years before it matured. The word cyberpunk was coined by writer Bruce Bethke, who wrote a story with that title in 1980. He created the term by combining "cybernetics," the science of replacing human functions with computerized ones, and "punk," the raucous music and nihilistic sensibility that became a youth culture in the 1970s and '80s. Not until the 1984 publication of William Gibson's novel, Neuromancer, however, did "cyberpunk" really take off as a term or a genre.

Synonyms of cyberpunk

• hacker

Examples of cyberpunk in a Sentence

the bank had to overhaul its online banking system after a cyberpunk broke into the accounts of thousands of customers

Recent Examples on the Web

Many are financed through crowdfunding, with subscribers garnering exclusive perks, and embrace subtitles and alternate audio (a series like the Japanese cyberpunk Milky Subway is dubbed in 10 different languages). —Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026

The troubled production resulted in a bizarre cyberpunk schlock-flick that felt far removed from what most fans understood Mario to be. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2026

Sometimes what a title needs is a compelling vision and charm, and Sad Cat Studios delivers plenty of that with this upcoming cyberpunk thriller. —Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026

The next three minutes loop cyberpunk synths while flashing between ideas: a brain-smacking rap-screamo section; a vaporwavey dream hole; a movie sample. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cyberpunk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• junk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!