Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1999 | fix-it adj. (1999) | designating (a work of) fan fiction that changes facts or situations in the canonical work that displease the fan author |
| 2000 | Afrofuturistic adj. (2000) | = Afrofuturist adj. |
| 2001 | dieselpunk n. 1 (2001) | a subgenre of science fiction featuring diesel-powered technology characteristic of the early to mid 20th century, typically having a pessimistic viewpoint; a retro-futuristic style based on this; cf. steampunk n. 2 |
| 2001 | fix-it n. (2001) | a work of fix-it fiction |
| 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 |
| 2008 | romantasy n. (2008) | a subgenre that combines elements of romance and fantasy, esp. in featuring sexual relationships between humans and supernatural creatures |
| 2008 | solarpunk n. (2008) | a literary, artistic, and political movement that advocates an egalitarian society in which humans utilize sustainable energy sources |
| 2009 | cli-fi n. (2009) | a subgenre of science fiction concerned with the effects of climate change |
| 2010 | dieselpunk n. 2 (2010) | a fan of, or character in, dieselpunk n. 1 |
| 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 |