science fiction

noun
a form of fiction that draws imaginatively on scientific knowledge and speculation in its plot, setting, theme, etc.

Origin:
1925–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
science fiction
 
n
a.  a literary genre that makes imaginative use of scientific knowledge or conjecture
 b.  (as modifier): a science fiction writer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Science fiction is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

science fiction
1929 (first attested in "Science Wonder Stories" magazine), though there is an isolated use from 1851; abbreviated form sci-fi is from 1955.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

science fiction definition


Works of fiction that use scientific discoveries or advanced technology — either actual or imaginary — as part of their plot. Jules Verne and H. G. Wells were early writers of science fiction. More recent ones are Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Stories have the power to take us to other worlds, and no genre more so than
  science fiction and fantasy.
Fantasy films and science fiction also have dominated my adult life.
Once the fantasy of science fiction, battlefield robots are now a reality.
In contemporary literature, high fantasy and science fiction repeat many of the
  same folklore themes.
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