Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | meatspace n. (1993) | the physical world, in contrast to cyberspace or a virtual environment; cf. slightly earlier meat world n. |
| 1993 | ob- prefix (1993) | denoting 'obligatory or expected reference to' a topic |
| 1993 | steampunkish adj. (1993) | of, pertaining to, or characteristic of steampunk n. 2 |
| 1994 | Afrofuturist adj. (1994) | of, relating to, or characterized by Afrofuturism n. |
| 1994 | morphed adj. (1994) | transformed by means of morphing |
| 1994 | sharecrop v. (1994) | to write a sharecrop n. |
| 1994 | X-Phile n. (1994) | a fan of the TV show The X-Files |
| 1995 | fantastical n. (1995) | of a creative work: that which has the qualities of fantasy n. 1 |
| 1995 | infodumping n. (1995) | the practice of using infodump n. in literature |
| 1995 | slipstreamy adj. (1995) | having the characteristics or qualities of slipstream n. |
| 1996 | ship n. 2 (1996) | a romantic pairing of two characters who appear in a work of (serial) fiction, esp. one which is discussed, portrayed, or advocated by fans rather than depicted in the original work; (also) fans who support a particular pairing, considered collectively |
| 1996 | shipper n. (1996) | a person who discusses, portrays, or advocates a romantic pairing of two characters who appear in a work of (serial) fiction, esp. when such a pairing is not depicted in the original work |
| 1997 | morph v. 2 (1997) | transitive to change the shape or form of part of (something); to create (something) by such a transformation |
| 1997 | multisystem adj. (1997) | of or involving more than one star system |
| 1997 | sharecrop-writer n. (1997) | someone who writes sharecrops |
| 1997 | slipstreamer n. (1997) | a writer of slipstream fiction |
| 1998 | blue pill n. (1998) | a drug that allows one to remain ignorant of reality; cf. red pill n. |
| 1998 | glitch n. (1998) | in phrase a glitch in the matrix: in the 1999 film The Matrix: an anomaly in the virtual representation of reality in which much of the film takes place, indicating a change or error in the underlying computer simulation; (hence, broadly) a mistake, an error, a problem |
| 1998 | inertial dampener n. (1998) | = inertial damper n. |
| 1998 | red pill n. (1998) | a drug that reveals esp. unpleasant truths of the real world; cf. blue pill n. |
| 1998 | ship v. (1998) | transitive to discuss, portray, or advocate a romantic pairing of (two characters who appear in a work of (serial) fiction), esp. when such a pairing is not depicted in the original work; also intransitive |
| 1999 | bullet time n. (1999) | a video effect in which the camera appears to move around a stationary or very slow-moving subject |
| 2000 | Afrofuturistic adj. (2000) | = Afrofuturist adj. |
| 2002 | New Weird n. (2002) | a genre that incorporates elements of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, typically in a complex urban setting |
| 2002 | verse n. (2002) | the universe; (also) one of many universes in a multiverse; cf. earlier -verse suffix |
| 2003 | fangirl v. (2003) | esp. of a girl or woman: to exhibit extreme devotion (to) or excitement (about); to act like a fangirl n. |
| 2003 | Spider-Man principle n. (2003) | the adage ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ |
| 2004 | mundane adj. 2 (2004) | denoting a subgenre of science fiction characterized by a rejection of themes considered scientifically implausible (as faster-than-light travel, alternate universes, etc.) |
| 2005 | flash crowd n. (2005) | a sudden increase in the number of visitors viewing a (small or niche) website, esp. after the site has been mentioned in a more prominent venue |
| 2006 | murderbot n. (2006) | a robot or cyborg designed chiefly to inflict violence |
| 2006 | uplifter n. (2006) | a genetic engineer who carries out uplift n. |
| 2007 | timey-wimey adj. (2007) | denoting a (complex) time-travel situation or story, esp. one characterised by time paradoxes |
| 2008 | grimdark n. (2008) | a subgenre of (esp. fantasy) fiction characterized by a nihilistic, violent, and dystopian atmosphere or setting |
| 2009 | cli-fi n. (2009) | a subgenre of science fiction concerned with the effects of climate change |
| 2017 | hopepunk n. (2017) | a subgenre of (esp. fantasy) fiction in which characters rebel against a challenging and esp. dystopian situation with optimism, kindness, or cooperation |
| 2018 | Africanfuturism n. (2018) | Nnedi Okorafor’s term for: a subgenre of science fiction that heavily features elements of African history or culture; cf. Afrofuturism |
| 2021 | Torment Nexus n. (2021) | a fictional dystopian invention that inspires or resembles an unwanted later real-world creation |