steampunk
noun
Did you know?
I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for [Tim] Powers, [James] Blaylock and myself. So wrote the science-fiction author K. W. Jeter, credited with coining the term steampunk in 1987 to describe a wave of fantasy novels set in Victorian times and celebrating the technology of the era, much of which was powered by steam. In both name and subject, steampunk is an antithesis to cyberpunk, a genre often noted for featuring computerized, futuristic, or unearthly settings. The popularity of steampunk has since carried over to motion pictures, fashion, and even things like restaurant décor.
Examples of steampunk in a Sentence
Amy Nelson, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
The very custom kitchen has top-line appliances and a steampunk-y navy-black-brass palette.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 27 Oct. 2025
Wröbel describes how the contradictory worlds come together to form a soft steampunk aesthetic.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 8 Sep. 2025
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) Netflix, September 1 Literary bona fides: based on, well, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897)
Francis Ford Coppola’s cult classic features, among other things, steampunk Gary Oldman as the #30 Dracula of all time.
—Emily Temple
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for steampunk
Cite this Entry
“Steampunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steampunk. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share