science fiction

English
Cover of Rocket to the Moon, a 1951 science fiction comic book.

Wikiquote

Alternative forms

Etymology

From science +‎ fiction; apparently coined in 1851 by W. Wilson.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Hyphenation: sci‧ence fic‧tion
  • Rhymes: -ɪkʃən

Noun

science fiction (usually uncountable, plural science fictions)

  1. Fiction in which advanced technology or science is a key element.
    Synonyms: (dated) scientific romance, (dated) scientifiction, sci-fi, SF, skiffy, stf
    Hypernyms: imaginative fiction, non-mimetic fiction, SF/F/H, speculative fiction
    Hyponyms: hard science fiction, proto-science fiction, soft science fiction
    Coordinate terms: fantasy, horror
    Some people consider motion pictures such as the Star Wars movies more as fantasies than science fiction.
    • 1975 April, Isaac Asimov, “How Easy to See the Future!”, in Natural History, volume 84, number 4, New York: American Museum of Natural History, →ISSN, page 92, column 2:
      Science fiction can be defined as that branch of literature which deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology.
  2. (by extension) Technology that, while theoretically possible, is not yet practical.
    Despite decades of research, mass-market personal aircraft are still science fiction.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English science fiction.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈsa.jɛns ˈfik.ʂɨn/
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -ikʂɨn

Noun

science fiction n (indeclinable, abbreviation s.f. or SF)

  1. (literature) science fiction (genre of fiction)
    Synonym: fantastyka naukowa
    elementy science fiction ― science fiction elements
  2. (colloquial) something inconceivable, something incredible, something unbelievable
    polityczne science fiction ― political science fiction
    • 2013, “Łódź żyje Janowiczem. To jakieś „science fiction””, in Wprost‎:
      – To dla nas jakieś science fiction. Nie wiemy, w jakim świecie żyjemy. To jest po prostu coś nieprawdopodobnego – mówi Ewa Nadel, prezes klubu, którego zawodnikiem jest Janowicz.
      “This is unbelievable. We don't know what world we live in. This is just something inconceivable,” says Ewa Nadel, president of the club whose player is Janowicz.

Adjective

science fiction (not comparable, no derived adverb)

  1. (literature, postpositive, relational) science fiction (genre of fiction)
    Synonym: fantastycznonaukowy
    opowiadanie science fiction ― science fiction short story
  2. (postpositive) inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable

Further reading

Swedish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English science fiction.

Noun

science fiction

  1. science fiction
    Hennes favoritgenre var science fiction
    Her favorite genre was science fiction

References
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