SINCE 1828
space opera
nounDefinition of space opera
: a futuristic melodramatic fantasy involving space travelers and extraterrestrial beings
Examples of space opera in a Sentence
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Pacific Symphony performs John Williams’ classic score to a screening of director George Lucas’ blockbuster 1977 space opera. — Los Angeles Times, "8 Weekend Picks including Pacific Opera Project, ‘Star Wars in Concert’ and GMCLA," 14 Aug. 2019 Chambers’s novel seems contradictory: It’s a space opera where the adventures are the little things, like going off course to find the perfect herb to welcome a new crew member. — Everdeen Mason, Washington Post, "Weirdly Specific Mixtape Vol. 5: Science fiction for foodies," 24 June 2019 This isn’t exactly the happiest of books, but Kameron Hurley’s standalone space opera is a bold, engrossing read that made our 2017 best novels list. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "The 13 best sci-fi books to check out on your new Kindle," 29 Dec. 2018 At the forefront of that charge in the 1970s was George Lucas, in the midst of producing a risky sci-fi space opera called Star. — Jordan Kushins, Popular Mechanics, "A Brief History of Sound in Cinema," 24 Feb. 2016 The layered, literary R&B album referenced classic space operas like Star Trek and the works of David Bowie and Prince. — Sean Knight, Glamour, "Janelle Monáe Knows She Has Your Attention. Get Ready for What's Next.," 5 Nov. 2018 Where Altered Carbon was a neo-noir cyberpunk story that focused on the consequences of wealth inequality, Broken Angels is a very different book that moves toward military science fiction and space opera. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Netflix has renewed Altered Carbon for a second season," 27 July 2018 Ubisoft's presser opted for meatiness, giving fans a long look at Beyond Good and Evil 2, which looks to be a huge earthy space opera, though detail are scarce about gameplay or release. — Julie Muncy, WIRED, "The Biggest Surprises (and Missed Opportunities) of the E3 Press Conferences," 12 June 2018 Now the universe George Lucas created could spin out in new and interesting ways that wouldn’t have to hew to the space opera conventions of the main Star Wars series. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Solo: A Star Wars Story is the safest, most forgettable Star Wars movie," 24 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'space opera.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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