anti-gravitational adj.

acting against gravity

  • 1900 G. Griffith Visit to Moon in Pearson’s Magazine Feb. 141 page image George Griffith bibliography

    By means of the ‘R.Force’, or Anti-Gravitational Force, of the secret of which Lord Redgrave is the sole possessor, they are able to navigate with precision and safety the limitless ocean of space.

  • 1925 H. Gernsback Ralph 124C 41+ (1952) 120 Hugo Gernsback

    Our anti-gravitational screen still let through some of the gravitational waves, or fifty per cent of the energy, which we could not seem to counteract.

  • 1930 D. H. Menzel in Science Wonder Stories Feb. 842/2

    If one could discover some substance that would insulate from gravity, but an infinitesimal amount of energy would be required to lift a ton weight. Now kick the nullifying screen out of the way. As the mass crashes to the ground it could be hitched to machines and made to do useful work. Since the process, presumably, could be repeated over and over again, we should attain the equivalent of perpetual motion. Since this is impossible, I feel sure that inert anti-gravitational screens are impossible.

  • 1931 C. A. Smith in Wonder Stories Apr. 1236/2 Clark Ashton Smith

    I finished my descent of the cliff by the use of an anti-gravitational device.

  • 1938 A. J. Burks Challenge of Atlantis in Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct. 58/1

    Their spherical planes, flown by antigravitational force, shot into the air, and scattered immediately, to form in threatening squadrons over the four army divisions guarding the Death Valley ‘exit’.

  • 1956 A. C. Clarke in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Jan. 31/1 Arthur C. Clarke

    The final clue to the antigravitational nature of the field came when they shot a rifle bullet into it and observed the trajectory with a high-speed camera.

  • 1975 C. Stinchcombe in Science Fiction Monthly Jan. 2/1 page image Christine Stinchcombe bibliography

    She was looking for more information about four members of a twentieth century space crew whose first attempt to man an antigravitational spacecraft was commemorated…by a minute’s silence during a TV news report.

  • 1987 N. Robinson Time Meddler ix. 109 page image Nigel Robinson bibliography

    ‘Is that so?’ the Doctor asked sarcastically. ‘Of course,’ said the Monk with all the unbridled enthusiasm of a schoolboy sharing a well-kept secret. ‘Do you really think the Ancient Britons could have built Stonehenge without the aid of my anti-gravitational lifts?’

  • 2002 S. Baxter Dreaming Mould in Resplendent (2006) 253 page image Stephen Baxter bibliography

    At least the ground was level, more or less. And Stub, on his improvised stretcher, wasn’t as heavy as he should have been. Evidently the smart med-care cloak contained some anti-gravitational trickery.

  • 2015 J. Richards Time Lord Letters 14 page image Justin Richards bibliography

    Discussing the principles of powered flight with Leonardo is nothing to be proud of. Nor is depositing £200 in a bank in 1968 then ‘nipping forward 200 years’ as you put it to collect a fortune in compound interest. As for your use of an anti-gravitational lift to help the Ancients build Stonehenge, well I hardly know where to begin.

Research requirements

antedating 1900
Earliest cite

George Griffith, A Visit to the Moon
Research History
Lawrence Person located a cite in a 1958 reprint of Hugo Gernsback's "Ralph 124C 41+"; Mike Christie verified this in a 1952 edition. Leslie Turek then verified it in the 1925 first edition. The novel first appeared as a serial in the author's first magazine, "Modern Electrics", in 1911. The story was apparently rewritten but we would like to check that version.

Cory Panshin submitted a cite from a 1979 reprint of George Griffith's "A Visit to the Moon"; Ralf Brown verified this in its 1900 serialization in Pearson's Magazine.
Mike Christie submitted a 1956 cite from Arthur C. Clarke's "What Goes Up".
Jeff Prucher submitted a 1931 cite from Clark Ashton Smith's "An Adventure in Futurity".
Jeff Prucher submitted a 1930 cite from Donald Menzel's article "The Equivalent of Perpetual Motion" in Science Wonder Stories.
Mike Christie submitted a 1938 cite from Arthur J. Burks' "The Challenge of Atlantis".
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 1987 cite from Nigel Robinson.
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2002 cite from Stephen Baxter.
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2014 cite from Justin Richards.

Last modified 2021-09-21 03:51:01
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.